,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 ,j4 ,,godwin4 ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas ,,the ,,farm-,,house ,,kitchen4 ,vol4 ii4 page #bhf4 ,,the ,,sheepfold ,,and ,,the ,,common ,illustration3 the ,sheepfold ,,the ,,common1 ,,or ,,within ,,without4 ,,blackie ,,son ,,glasgow ,,edinburgh1 ,,london4 ,,the ,,sheepfold ,,and ,,the ,,common3 ,,or1 ,,within ,,and ,,without4 ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,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 #ai4 ,illustration3 publisher's mark ,,blackie ,,and ,,son3 ,,glasgow1 ,,edinburgh1 ,,and ,,london4 ,,mdccclxi4 ,,glasgow3 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blackie ,,and ,,co41 ,,printers1 ,,villafield4 ,,contents4 ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,page ,old ,rachel1 the ,blind ,woman1 #a ,diversity of ,opinion ,very ,natural1 #ah ,union ,without ,compromise1 #cg ,the ,stage ,coach1 #eb ,a ,sabbath in ,london1 #fb ,the ,sceptic's ,visit1 #gf ,a ,renewed ,encounter1 #id ,the ,effect of a ,word ,spoken in ,season1 #ajh ,the ,family of the ,holmes1 #abc ,a ,misfortune often a ,blessing in ,disguise1 #acd ,christian ,experience1 #aee ,doubts and ,perplexities1 #aff ,theatrical ,amusements1 ,part ,i41 #agg ,theatrical ,amusements1 ,part ,,ii41 #aih ,unitarianism ,renounced1 #bai ,the ,path of ,truth ,forsaken1 #bdj ,the ,fruits of ,apostasy1 #bfa ,the ,farm-,house ,kitchen1 #bhd ,a ,party at the ,elms1 #bif ,family ,sketches1 #caa ,amusements1 #cbc ,the ,unhappy ,attachment1 #cdb ,a ,sequel to the ,foregoing1 #cfe ,the ,village ,chapel1 #chf ,village ,characters1 #dja ,the ,pious ,cottager1 #dbb ,the ,closing ,scene of the ,young ,christian's ,career1 #dca ,the ,happy ,marriage1 #ddi ,an ,old ,friendship ,revived1 #dfb ,the ,wanderer's ,return1 #dgd ,a ,struggle for ,life1 #dic ,the ,sceptic ,reclaimed1 #ejd ,the ,rector's ,death-,bed1 #eah ,the ,rector's ,funeral1 #ebi ,the ,new ,rectors1 #edj ,a ,secession at ,broadhurst1 #eea ,a ,farewell to ,old ,friends1 #efa ,conclusion1 #ege ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations4 ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,page ,the ,farm-,house ,kitchen1 ,frontispiece4 ,a ,contrast1 ,engraved ,title4 ,george ,,iii4 and the ,dying ,gipsy1 #g ,mistaken ,charity--,mr4 ,sykes's ,theory ,refuted1 #ee ,sabbath ,pleasure-,seekers1 #fd ,the ,conspiracy ,defeated1 #abh ,the ,mother's ,hopes ,blasted1 #agi ,mr4 ,beaufoy's ,emotion on receiving his ,mother's ,letter1 #bfa ,bringing in the ,last ,load of ,corn--,the ,reapers' ,hymn of ,praise1 #bhe ,miss ,holmes and ,miss ,martin taking leave of ,mrs4 ,kent1 #bii ,first ,meeting of ,captain ,orme and ,emma ,holmes1 #ceb ,mr4 ,swinson assaulted by the ,mob1 #cif ,the ,bridal ,party welcomed by the ,villagers1 #def ,the ,wanderer's ,return1 #dhj ,,the ,,sheepfold ,,and ,,the ,,common4 ,,old ,,rachel1 ,,the ,,blind ,,woman4 ,and so ,i hear1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens to the ,rector1 when we were spending an evening at his house1 that poor ,old ,rachel is dead4 ,i really thought she had died long since1 as ,i have not heard anything about her for a long time4 ,yes1 ,madam1 replied ,mr4 ,ingleby1 she is dead1 and was buried yesterday2 she lies very near some of the finest of my flock4 ,she must have lived to a great age1 for she was an old woman when ,i was but a little girl4 ,she was1 ,i believe1 upwards of ninety1 and for several years she lived with some relatives in a state of almost entire seclusion4 ,i had quite lost sight of her1 and it was owing to a very casual circumstance that my acquaintance with her was renewed4 ,how did you happen again to meet with her8 ,it was in this way4 ,i required some one to weed my garden2 and hearing that there was an active clever woman residing at ,street1 about two miles from the rectory1 who was a good hand at such work1 ,i took a walk to find her4 ,on reaching her house ,i knocked at the door1 but received no answer2 and just as ,i was going away1 rather disappointed at having made a fruitless journey1 a neighbour stepped out of the adjoining cottage1 and said1 ',if1 ,sir1 you want ,mrs4 ,jones1 she has just gone out1 but ,i will go and look for her1 if you will perhaps come in here1 and rest yourself for a few minutes4' ,i thanked her1 and followed her into the house1 where she placed a chair for me1 saying1 as she left to go in search of ,mrs4 ,jones--',it's no use1 ,sir1 to say nothing to my mother there2 she is quite blind1 and so deaf1 that she can't hear a word which nobody says to her4' ,the person to whom she pointed sat in an arm-chair1 on the opposite side of the fire1 wrapped up in flannel1 her face nearly concealed by her cap and bonnet1 and as motionless as a statue4 ,i sat for a few moments in silence1 and then1 yielding to a feeling of curiosity1 and ,i would also hope to a better motive1 to endeavour to ascertain whether ,i could impart the soothing influences of religious consolation to the seemingly inanimate object that sat opposite to me1 ,i arose1 and placing my lips as near her ear as possible1 without touching her1 said1 audibly and distinctly1 ',you are very old4' ,no reply4 ,this was followed by several common-place questions--such as1 ',what is your name8' ',do you want anything8' ',are you in any pain8' ,these and other questions ,i continued to repeat2 but they produced no more effect on her than they would have done on a log4 ',poor thing1' ,i exclaimed1 'it's no use to try1 as she is living out of my reach4 ,the door of access is locked1 and the key lost4' ,i resumed my seat4 ,my anxiety to gain access to her mind increased in proportion to the apparent impossibility of succeeding1 and ,i made another effort4 ',do you ever think about dying8' ,there was a slight convulsive movement of the hand1 but this was no satisfactory proof that she heard my question2 however1 it showed that the inner spirit was awake1 and might possibly be bringing itself to a listening attitude4 ,i then put the all-important question--',do you know anything about ,jesus ,christ8' ,never shall ,i forget the effect of this question4 ,her hands were suddenly raised1 her arms extended1 and her face glowed with more than human radiance1 and1 in a tone of transport1 she exclaimed1 ',what6 is that my beloved pastor8 ,it was under your ministry ,i was brought to know ,christ1 and feel the preciousness of his love4' ,this unanticipated exclamation astonished and delighted me1 especially when ,i recognized1 by the sound of her voice1 ,old ,rachel4 ,to all my questions relating to her secular condition and wants1 she was as insensible as though actually dead4 ,i stood and looked on her with joyous wonder1 never having previously known a similar case4 ,i repeated question after question1 but had no response1 till ,i asked1 ',is ,christ precious to you8' ,her reply was prompt and audible3 ,he is precious to my soul--my transport and my trust4' ,the reply had an electrical effect on my spirit4 ,marvellous6 ,i never witnessed such a scene as this4 ,i varied my questions again and again2 but there was no sign of hearing1 or even perceptible motion1 though ,i took hold of her hand4 ,it was as though some angelic spirit kept watch1 to prevent any thought relating to earth or time from obtruding itself on her attention1 now she was waiting on the verge of the celestial world4 ,one question more1 and all intercourse was over4 ',do you long to see ,christ8' ,she instantly replied1 ',my soul is in haste to be gone4' ,again she relapsed into her statue-like appearance1 and in that state continued till the return of her daughter with ,mrs4 ,jones1 after transacting my business with whom1 ,i took leave1 and walked home1 musing on the history of ,old ,rachel1 and resolving that ,i would soon again pay her a visit4 ,i should like1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 to have witnessed this scene1 and heard the retiring spirit thus appearing to bear testimony to the more than magic power of the ,saviour's name1 and of the preciousness of his love4 ,and so1 ,madam1 should ,i1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion2 it would have been to me like a voice speaking from another world1 in confirmation of the genuineness of our faith1 which sees the invisible1 and holds conscious intercourse with ,him1 though we hear him not4 ,i generally find1 that a singular ending is closely connected with a singular origin1 or a series of eventful occurrences4 ,can you favour us with some account of her history8 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i can1 and it is both interesting and peculiar4 ,i did not know her till she was advanced in age1 and had lost her sight2 yet1 before ,i knew her1 ,i had often heard her spoken of as an intelligent woman1 very fond of books1 and remarkable for the neatness and cleanliness of her person1 and her regular and punctual attendance at her parish church4 ,when her sight failed her1 she was compelled to relinquish the school by which she had gained her livelihood2 but she was so much esteemed1 that a good allowance was granted by the parish1 and this was augmented by weekly subscriptions from some of the members of her church4 ,on passing by her cottage one day1 ,i looked in to see her1 though she was not one of my parishioners2 but as she had imbibed the ,tractarian doctrines of her ,rector1 and felt a strong repugnance to evangelical truth1 ,i at once perceived that my presence was more disagreeable than pleasing4 ,i therefore withdrew1 not intending to repeat my visit until ,i had prepared her to desire it4 ,i soon hit upon a plan to accomplish this4 ,the old woman had a little favourite grand-daughter in my ,sabbath-school1 and it occurred to me that ,i could employ her as the medium of communication2 and ,i commenced operations by giving her and lending her some little books of anecdotes and descriptive stories4 ,after the lapse of several months1 ,i gave her1 as a reward for reading to her grandmother1 the sketch of the ,rev4 ,john ,newton's conversion2 and this was followed by a tract on regeneration1 with which the old woman was so much pleased1 that she requested the loan of another on the same subject4 ,no great while after reading this tract she came to hear me preach1 and soon became a regular attendant on my ministry2 and ere long she sent to say she should be glad if ,i would call on her4 ,i went2 she apologized for her rudeness of manner on my former visit1 and excused herself by referring to the influence which superstitious prejudices had acquired over her4 ,from these superstitions she hoped she was now rescued by the attractive power of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,when it was noised abroad that ,rachel1 the old blind woman1 had left the church1 where ,tractarian doctrines and ceremonies were the theme of the ,rector's ministrations1 she received a visit from some of her lady friends1 who were very anxious to get her to return1 intimating that if she did1 they would continue their subscriptions towards her support1 otherwise she must not expect to receive any more favours from them4 ,she heard all they chose to say1 and thus announced her final decision3--',i have1 ladies1 attended my parish church for more than fifty years without getting any benefit to my soul1 but where ,i have been only a few ,sabbaths ,i have heard and felt the truth as it is in ,jesus1 and there ,i shall continue to go as long as my feeble limbs will carry me4 ,i thank you for all your acts of liberality and kindness to me1 but ,i cannot barter away my freedom1 and run the risk of losing my soul4 ,i must live free1 though in poverty2 and my salvation is now the one thing ,i value above all price4' ,she continued for several years both regular and punctual in her attendance on my ministry1 but at length was compelled1 by increasing infirmities1 to give up her house and go to reside with a married daughter4 ,years rolled on--the grand-daughter had left my school--the cottage where the old woman had resided was occupied by another--she gradually faded from my recollection1 and in process of time ,i had quite forgot her4 ,i used1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 to see her1 with her grand-daughter leading her1 coming to church and going from it2 but she sat in some pew which concealed her from my sight when in the church4 ,she was1 ,madam1 one of the most retiring women ,i ever knew2 she had a great objection to be seen1 as she knew her conversion and her leaving the ministry of her former ,rector had excited a good deal of talk4 ,the circumstances attending her conversion to the faith of ,christ1 observed the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 is an evident proof of its genuineness1 and of its having been effected by the ,holy ,spirit2 otherwise it would have been impossible for you to have gained her over to the reception of salvation by grace through faith1 as she was so self-satisfied with her own ,tractarian delusions1 and so much under the power of the active agents of the same fatal heresy4 ,i must confess that no event in my long pastoral career ever gave me more real pleasure1 or excited purer emotions of gratitude to my ,divine ,master1 than being allowed to witness the termination of her course--so unexpected1 and so novel4 ,i have known1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 some delivered from their terrors and misgivings1 just prior to their departure1 who have been in bondage all their life1 through fear of death1 and then they have felt even a transport of joy in anticipation of the end of their faith1 but ,i have never known a case like this of ,old ,rachel4 ,i recollect1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 reading in the ,times1 some years ago1 the report of a case bearing a strong resemblance to it in some of its distinctive peculiarities4 ,mr4 ,m----1 of -----1 who had through a very lengthened course distinguished himself by his activity in secular life1 and by his practical piety1 when drawing near his latter end1 appeared quite indifferent1 if not positively insensible1 to everything bearing a relation to earth1 though surrounded by its wealth and honours2 but even then he gave unmistakeable signs to his pious relatives1 that he was filled with all joy and peace in believing1 abounding in hope1 through the power of the ,holy ,ghost4#a #a ,in reply to an application which the author recently made in reference to this case1 an intelligent son of this eminent ,christian requests that the name of the deceased may be suppressed1 saying1 at the close of his letter--,the prayer of my dearest father was1 ,god be merciful to me a sinner6 and his last word1 the name of that ,redeemer on whose merits he relied1 and to whose honour he had lived4 ,mr4 ,lewellin remarked3--,an intimate friend related to me1 some time since1 the following circumstances1 which belong to the same remarkable order with that of ,old ,rachel and ,mr4 ,m----4 ,he knew a ,mr4 ,griffith1 who left ,wales when a young man1 and settled in ,london1 where he practised as a surgeon for half a century with very considerable success2 but feeling the infirmities of age coming on1 he disposed of his business and withdrew into private life4 ,from his youth up he had maintained a good report amongst his ,christian brethren4 ,he lived for years after he had relinquished his practice1 but latterly fell into such a state of apathy that he was unable to recollect his own children1 and had even forgotten the ,english language1 which he had spoken for more than fifty years1 using1 in his ,scripture quotations and audible prayers1 his native ,welsh4 ,he would remain for many hours in succession without appearing to notice any visible object1 asking any question1 or replying to any observation relating to secular matters4 ,he had withdrawn from the world1 living surrounded with invisible realities1 the varying aspect of his countenance indicating some active process of thinking and emotion2 but when he heard the name of ,jesus mentioned1 or any allusion to his love in dying for sinners1 his eyes would sparkle with peculiar radiance1 his hands would clasp together1 and he would pour forth expressions of gratitude and joy1 which betokened the vital energy of his soul1 and the intense interest he felt in anticipation of the grand crisis4 ,on his favourite theme of meditation he evinced no dulness1 nor lack of mental energy2 he would emerge from his seclusion to hold intelligible intercourse with his ,christian brethren1 when he heard them give utterance to the joyful sound1 and then drew back1 without any distinct recognition of their persons1 to dwell alone in the pavilion of the ,divine presence4#b #b ,the following anecdote of ,george ,,iii4 7from ,legends and ,records1 chiefly ,historical3 by ,charles ,tayler1 ,m4,a471 supplies us with another interesting case of the aptitude of the mind to understand and feel the power of religious truth1 after it has become inaccessible to every other mental communication4 ,his majesty had been hunting in ,windsor ,forest1 and after the hunt was over1 as he was returning1 his attention was arrested by a little girl who sat on the ground weeping4 ,he alighted from his horse1 and1 having ascertained the cause of her grief1 he followed her to a tent1 in an unfrequented part of the forest1 where lay an old gipsy on her dying bed1 with her face towards the inside of the tent4 ,she appeared too far gone to hear any of the sympathetic inquiries which he instituted4 ,however1 his eye was attracted by a torn and dirty book1 which lay open upon the pillow of the dying woman1 and he had the curiosity to see what book it was4 ,ah1 ,sir1 said an elder girl1 ,i believe there's a deal of fine reading in that book2 and my grandmother set great store by it1 torn and soiled as it is4 ,while she could use her eyes she used to be spelling it over and over again2 but now1 she says1 the letters are all dark and dim before her sight1 she cannot see them4 ,his majesty said nothing1 but1 taking up the book from the pillow1 he sat down on the green turf close to the head of the dying woman4 ,the book was the ,bible4 ,he chose some of those beautiful passages which are easy to be understood1 and1 at the same time1 full of hope and comfort to the sinking and fearful heart4 ,he read of the tender compassion of the ,father of mercies to his guilty creatures1 in giving his own ,son ,jesus ,christ to die for them1 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish1 but have everlasting life6 ,though she heard not what he said when he first spoke to her1 she heard and felt the words of the ,scriptures1 for she turned entirely round and opened her dull eyes with a vacant stare2 she endeavoured also to speak1 but could only make a faint uncertain sound1 in which no word could be distinguished4 ,then she drew her hands together1 and clasped them as if in prayer1 taking that way1 it seemed1 to show that she was quite sensible to hear and understand what was read to her2 and the young girls drew near1 and kneeled down quietly beside the bed1 listening also to the sacred words of life1 and feeling a sort of happiness in their sorrow1 as they looked upon their beloved parent1 now as calm as a sleeping infant1 except that tears stole down her hollow cheeks2 but any one might see that they were tears of joy1 for all the while a smile was on her lips4 ,these are spiritual phenomena1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 which1 like the phenomena of nature1 are too plain and palpable to be denied1 even though it may not be in our power to give all the explanations about the causes of them which our curiosity would like to receive4 ,illustration3 ,,james ,,godwin4 ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,,george ,,iii4 ,,and ,,the ,,dying ,,gipsy4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #g4 ,very true1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby2 but there are certain statements and expressions in the ,new ,testament which throw light enough upon such phenomena to demonstrate that they have their natural causes1 and thus they are rescued from the supposition that they are self-originated and self-sustained movements of the human spirit1 in some complexed and eccentric condition of existence4 ,our ,lord says to his disciples1 ',i am the vine1 ye are the branches2 he that abideth in me and ,i in him1 the same bringeth forth much fruit' 7,john xv4 #e74 ,the life of the branch depends on its adhesion to the tree which supplies the sap of nourishment4 ,again1 he says1 ',i in them' 7,john xvii4 #bc74 ,the apostle says1 ',i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me' 7,gal4 ii4 #bj74 ,again1 ',your life is hid with ,christ in ,god' 7,col4 iii4 #c71 denoting its invulnerable security4 ,from the passages which ,i have now quoted1 and there are many others of the same import1 we arrive at this conclusion1 which is an explanation and a defence of the spiritual phenomenon1 that there is an actual1 though inexplicable inhabitation of ,jesus ,christ in the soul of a believer 7,rev4 iii4 #bj71 sustaining the spiritual life within him1 as the vine nourishes the branch which bears its own fruit4 ,and as ,he has life in himself1 he can do this with perfect ease1 not only when the believer is in vigorous health1 and in the full exercise of all his mental faculties1 but when he is labouring under those physical diseases and mental infirmities which1 by a slow progression1 lead to his decay and death4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion observed1 ,that to deny the existence of such phenomena1 and others which bear some affinity to them1 simply because they are extraordinary1 would be an act of absurdity which no spiritual or even philosophic mind would venture to defend1 because the evidence in proof of their actual occurrence is so clear and conclusive4 ,the real question of difficulty to decide is simply this3--,are they supernatural manifestations1 or illusions of the imagination8 but1 in either case1 they go off into their own element of mysteriousness1 compelling us to believe what we cannot explain4 ,on a supposition that they are real manifestations of ,divine power and love1 which ,i fully believe they are1 ,i cannot help thinking that the highly-favoured spirit 7,old ,rachel1 for example71 while in such a state of lucid and active unconsciousness1 if ,i may use such an expression1 must exist in something like an intermediate position between the material and immaterial world--dying off from one by a very slow progression1 and getting meet for the other by a similar process2 occasionally stepping back to give unmistakeable signs of the continued possession of the faculties of thought and emotion1 and then retreating1 as into a citadel standing near the dark frontier of the invisible world1 and into which its celestial rays sometimes penetrate4 ,in these cases of rare occurrence1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 it is the soul of the spiritual man retreating from visible and audible fellowship with his pious associates2 but biography supplies us with another order of moral phenomena equally inexplicable1 yet equally gratifying1 tending to confirm the reality of the connection between the visible and invisible world which the ,christian revelation so plainly and positively announces4 ,i received1 some time ago1 the following statement from an elder of a ,scotch church1 on whose testimony ,i can place implicit dependence3--',about the month of ,august1 #ahch1 ,i went to see my grandfather1 a pious old man1 ninety-two years of age4 ,i sat by his bedside1 and others also were with him4 ,he had been silent and motionless for about five hours1 when he opened his eyes1 his countenance beaming with joy1 and raising his hands he said1 ,i see heaven open1 and ,jesus ,christ at the right hand of ,god1 and the angels of ,god descending to receive me4 ,these were his last words1 and when he had given utterance to them he expired4' ,this reminds me1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 of an incident which occurred at ,stepney ,college1#c not long ago4 ,when ,ebenezer ,birrel1 a student there1 was dying1 he requested all who were in the room with him to keep silence4 ,he also was silent and motionless4 ,at length he looked and gazed in rapture on some glorious object1 which to him alone was visible1 exclaiming1 as he gazed1 ',beautiful6 beautiful6' and in uttering the word ',,glory6' his head fell and he expired4 #c ,the ,baptist ,college1 ,stepney4 ,the case of ,dr4 ,gordon1 of ,hull1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 differing1 as it does in some particulars1 from all the specimens we have had of these spiritual phenomena1 is1 ,i think1 deserving of our special notice4 ',he appeared1' says his biographer1 'just as he was expiring1 no longer conscious of what took place around him4 ,he gazed upwards1 as in wrapt vision4 ,no film overspread his eyes4 ,they beamed with an unwonted lustre1 and the whole countenance1 losing the aspect of disease and pain1 with which we had been so long familiar1 glowed with an expression of indescribable rapture4 ,as we watched1 in silent wonder and praise1 his features1 which had become motionless1 suddenly yielded for a few seconds to a smile of ecstasy which no pencil could ever depict1 and which none who witnessed it can ever forget4 ,and when it passed away1 still the whole countenance continued to beam and brighten1 as if reflecting the glory on which the soul was gazing4 ,this glorious spectacle continued for about a quarter of an hour1 increasing in interest to the last4' ,i have heard of other cases1 remarked ,mr4 ,ingleby1 bearing a strong resemblance to some which have been mentioned2 but ,i have never made much use of them1 except as supplementary proofs in confirmation of my own belief in the inseparable connection of the two worlds4 ,they are not absolutely necessary to establish this great fact2 yet we must all admit1 that such proofs can be supplied1 if it should please ,god to do so2 and we know he has done it more than once4 ,not to dwell on the vision of the apostle ,paul1 ,i would just advert to the case of ,stephen4 ,when his enemies were gnashing on him with their teeth1 expressive of their indignation against him1 for accusing them of having betrayed and murdered the ,,just ,,one--',he1 being full of the ,holy ,ghost1 looked up steadfastly into heaven1 and saw the glory of ,god1 and ,jesus standing on the right hand of ,god' 7,acts vii4 #ee74 ,he saw clearly what the others saw not1 and for reporting what he saw he was denounced a blasphemer1 and was led out and stoned to death4 ,this case settles two great facts3--,first1 that ,god can1 when he pleases1 unveil to mortal vision the glorious forms and appearances of the invisible world2 and secondly1 that he has done it4 ,i feel unwilling1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 to object to any evidence which tends to confirm our belief in the connection between the visible and invisible world2 but ,i think great caution is necessary in employing such cases as have now been reported in proof of it4 ,what the old ,scotchman and the youthful student saw1 or thought they saw1 may1 after all1 have been nothing more than the illusions of their own disturbed imagination1 left at the closing scene uncontrolled by the immortal spirit itself1 while in the act of passing from its material tabernacle1 and away from its material senses1 into another1 a higher1 and more congenial economy of existence4 ,true1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby2 but then1 if we admit that they really are illusions1 we must also admit that they are illusive only by a forestalling process2 the imagination bringing to the senses1 yet bounded by the material economy1 objects of vision belonging to another state of existence--framing types of invisible realities--lifting up1 in the living temple of humanity1 prefigurations of what will be seen when the fulness of time comes for the disembodying of the soul and its glorification4 ,the illusion then relates1 not to the ,,unreality of what is seen and felt1 but to the unreality of the act of vision1 and its consequent excitement and impression1 both mental and physical4 ,we know1 said4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 that ,god very rarely deviates in his providential administration1 from the established laws of his government2 but we also know that he does sometimes1 and for the purpose of making us know more impressively that he is the ,,lord1 who exercises loving-kindness1 judgment1 and righteousness in the earth1 for in these things he delights4 ,hence1 there have been two translations from earth to heaven1 without the intervening infliction of death1 but only two1 since the fall of man4 ,in reference to the remarkable cases under consideration1 there may be some difficulty in deciding whether the persons actually saw what they are reported to have seen1 or were imposed on by the mysterious action of their own imagination2 but yet ,i cannot bring my mind to the conclusion1 that the visions were positive illusions1 and that the happy spirits who saw them1 and spake of them1 and whose radiant countenances betokened the truthfulness of their testimony1 were dying under the spell of self-deception4 ,such cases1 we know1 but very rarely occur1 and when they do occur they make their appearance quite unexpectedly2 but ,i think they occur often enough1 and with such varying peculiarities1 as to make us hesitate to pronounce them positive illusions1 even if we cannot admit with confidence that they are positive realities4 ,at any rate1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 the spell of self-deception1 if they were deceived1 was soon broken1 as in each case death came immediately after they uttered their last joyous exclamation2 and then the sublime vision of immortality opened upon them1 with all its glorious realities4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion here remarked that1 in general1 the ,lord's people die in hope and with great calmness2 and sometimes they rise to confidence1 and even to joy1 and joy unspeakable4 ,few1 indeed1 rise higher than this2 but ,i have known enough1 and heard enough1 to satisfy me that some do4 ,the case of ,dr4 ,gordon1 who uttered no exclamation1 is to me a decisive proof of this4 ,he is calm1 motionless1 wrapped in profound thoughts1 when his countenance1 which had long been marked by the lines of disease and pain1 begins to radiate1 till at length its lustre was so clear and bright1 attended by an ecstatic smile so ethereal1 that the spectators were awe-struck1 standing and gazing for the space of a quarter of an hour on this more than human vision4 ,at least1 they thought it more than human while they were gazing on it4 ,every effect1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby1 must have some adequate cause2 and this extraordinary radiation on the countenance of ,dr4 ,gordon was produced either by the action of his own thoughts1 or by the intervention of a supernatural power4 ,if produced by his own thoughts1 what a hold must his soul have taken of invisible realities when he was dying1 to give such a glowing brilliancy to his pallid face6 ,if produced by the intervening action of supernatural power1 it was a premature shining forth of the glory to be revealed more fully in the disembodied state4 ,in other words1 he did what was done by the impulse of his own conceptions1 or ,god was especially with him in his dying chamber1 shedding upon him some effulgent rays of his own glory4 ,but to return1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 to the case of ,rachel1 the old blind woman1 which1 because it is capable of a more practical bearing1 ,i must confess1 interests me more than the splendid case of ,dr4 ,gordon1 interesting as it is4 ,but1 before ,i touch on this1 will you permit me to ask how long she lived after your unexpected interview with her8 and whether there was a recurrence of the astonishing responses to your inquiries8 ,i sat gazing on her1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 some time after ,i ceased speaking2 and before ,i left her1 her countenance had resumed its statue-like appearance of positive insensibility2 and every feature was fixed1 as though set by the cold hand of death1 and there was not a movement of any part of her body1 except the breast and the shoulders1 from the more powerful action of the lungs4 ,the following week ,i took a friend with me1 in expectation of having another interview with her2 but ,i was disappointed4 ,on entering the cottage1 her daughter informed me1 that having awoke in the night1 and thinking she heard her mother utter some sound1 she went with a light to her bedside1 when the old woman1 after a slight convulsive struggle1 raised her hands1 and said1 ',dear ,saviour1 ,i come to thee1' and died4 ,what a splendid transition6 said ,mrs4 ,stevens2 the cottage exchanged for a mansion6 ,what a glorious sequel to all her privations and sufferings6 ,her happy spirit1 long confined in total darkness1 is at last liberated1 and is now beholding the glory of ,christ1 and living and moving amidst the celestial beings and sublime grandeur of immortality4 ,and yet we are told1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 that the faith of ,christ1 which unveils such grand prospects of a future state of existence1 is a mere delusion1 and that we who indulge them are self-deceived4 ,if we admit this1 we must also admit that it is a very remarkable delusion1 as it usually comes in its most vivid forms1 and with its most attractive influences1 just at that period of human existence when all things of earth and of time are vanishing away4 ,at that awful crisis1 when the pomp of distinction1 the fascination of sensible objects1 and the grandeur of wealth1 are all losing their hold on us--and nothing is left to man but the shroud1 the coffin1 and the grave --at that very time the ,christian faith opens up a scene of grandeur which no words can adequately describe2 and yet the dying man1 who feels his departing spirit embracing these revelations as sublime realities1 is told by the cold-hearted sceptic that all is a delusion1 and he is self-deceived4 ,but he heeds not such random assertions4 ,he moves forward1 repeating the soul-inspiring words1 ',yea1 though ,i walk through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i will fear no evil3 for thou art with me2 thy rod and thy staff they comfort me' 7,psal4 xxiii4 #d74 ,but this case of poor ,old ,rachel1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 does something more than exhibit the efficacy of the ,christian faith1 in sustaining the human soul when the dread hour comes--it supplies a proof of the immateriality1 and1 by a fair inference1 of the immortality of the soul itself4 ,we are told1 by some sagacious sceptics1 that the mind of man1 like his body1 is material1 only that it has passed through a more refined process1 and is endowed by nature with certain faculties analogous to the senses2 and as they came into existence together at the time of his birth1 and live together through life1 so they will go out of existence together when they pay the debt of nature1 and1 at last1 perish together4 ,and ,i must confess that humanity has1 in some instances1 seemed to give a confirmation to this opinion1 as the body and the mind have appeared to wither and decay together1 as age and infirmities have come upon them4 ,hence there has been a loss of memory with the loss of animal vivacity--a loss of intellectual vigour with the loss of physical strength--a loss of imaginative power with the loss of sensitive acuteness--the mind and the body undergoing this reciprocal decay before the change comes which1 according to the sceptic's theory1 is to end in their extinction4 ,but1 then1 ,i have met with another class of cases bearing some analogy to this reciprocal decay1 but1 at the same time1 putting forth indications in confirmation of a reversed issue1 as in the history of ,old ,rachel4 ,in her we see the memory losing the impression of earthly objects1 but retaining the impression of heavenly ones4 ,her intellect lies prostrate and powerless in the presence of sensuous and secular inquiries1 but it springs into vigorous activity when spiritual ones are addressed to her4 ,the affections of her heart have died off from the relationships of life2 but they are concentrated on the perfection of moral beauty1 and cleave to ,jesus ,christ with an intensity and ardour surpassing that of a youthful passion4 ,here we have a living exponent1 and a confirmation of the truthfulness of the apostolic expression1 ',though our outward man perish1 yet the inward man is renewed day by day4' 7,see ,john xi4 #be1 #bf74 ,and there is another practical lesson1 ,mr4 ,ingleby remarked1 which this case of ,old ,rachel teaches us1 and it is this3--,when a man is enlightened by the ,spirit1 and is brought into fellowship with ,jesus ,christ1 and has felt the power of the world to come1 he never outlives his knowledge of these wondrous realities which stand out in bold relief when his remembrance of all other things is blotted out4 ,he may forget the wife of his bosom1 and the children who revered and loved him--he may forget his mother tongue1 and not recognize the hand which feeds and clothes him--and he may live till almost every sense has become extinct1 and the avenues of communication between the imprisoned spirit and the living world are blocked up--but he will never forget by whose blood he has been redeemed--he will never become insensible to the charm of ,his name or the preciousness of ,his love--nor will he ever lose sight of the bright and unfading inheritance of which he has received the earnest4 ,old ,rachel was living at ease1 conscious of her possessions1 even when1 in the estimation of others1 she was unconscious of her own existence2 and indulging the sublimest anticipations of faith and hope1 while in the dark cell of her confinement4 ,without giving any opinion1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 as to which of the cases reported this evening is the most remarkable1 or presuming to decide1 whether they are to be referred to some mysterious action of the imagination1 or to a real1 yet marvellous manifestation of the ,divine presence--leaving each case to stand for your decision on the ground of its own merits--,i think we may make a good practical use of the whole of them1 as1 when we see lights burning1 though of varying degrees of brightness1 we may avail ourselves of their radiance even if we cannot tell by whom they are enkindled4 ,we believe that the evidence which the ,bible supplies1 in confirmation of the existence of another world1 is sufficiently ample and decisive to satisfy us of its reality2 but still it is not so ample and decisive as to preclude the desirableness of some additional evidence4 ,this is often given in the death-chamber of the ,christian believer2 and not only to him1 when dying1 but to those who are eye-witnesses of the mode of his departure4 ,when1 for example1 we see a man of intelligence1 of taste1 of great sobriety of thinking1 and of courteous speech1 quite calm on his death-bed1 and alternately strongly excited--when we hear him speak of the hope he entertains of a glorious immortality--when we see him rising above hope into full assurance1 eager to depart1 though surrounded by many of the attractions of earth--when every look1 and aspiration1 and utterance1 beats in harmony with his long-settled expectation of a grand issue to his faith--we may very naturally take his experience1 not only as a safe guide1 but as a valid testimony to the certainty of what we believe in common4 ,but now suppose1 if1 in addition to this tranquil state of mind1 we should see a bright radiance beaming on the countenance of our dying friend1 previously pallid and careworn by disease--and suppose we should see him raise himself up in bed1 looking intently1 as if seeing some beautiful object concealed from us1 and1 after a profound silence and stillness of some minutes1 we should hear him speak of actually seeing1 while in the body1 what we believe he will see the moment he is out of the body--would not this tend to strengthen our faith1 even though we are unable to decide whether he actually saw1 or merely thought he saw1 the scenes he described8 ,i think it would2 and that even the most dubious on the question of illusion or reality would retire from such a hallowed spectacle1 filled with emotions of deep solemnity and joyous delight1 similar to what a primitive believer must have felt when looking on the face of ,stephen1 shining with angelic brilliancy1 a visible attestation of the reality of his miraculous vision4 ,i think so too1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4 ,i should like to witness such a sight and hear such an exclamation2 and though ,i will admit that such things may be nothing more than the illusive action of the imagination1 yet how comes the imagination1 when performing its very last operations1 to act with so much power1 as to imprint such a visible radiance on a death-struck countenance8 ,i cannot resist the impression that such cases as ,old ,rachel's and ,dr4 ,gordon's1 belonging certainly to a diverse order of spiritual phenomena1 are real manifestations of the glory and love of ,god1 and are intended by him1 like the translation of ,enoch and ,elijah1 as supplementary evidence to confirm the faith1 and animate the hope of his redeemed and beloved children4 ,at any rate1 such is the effect they have on me4 ,they have the same effect on my mind1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby2 especially this case of poor ,old ,rachel1 which will retain its power of impression as long as ,i exist4 ,i shall never forget the last interview ,i had with her1 nor her death-like appearance when ,i left her2 but when ,i see her again--and ,i trust to see her ere long--she will appear in a beauteous form1 arrayed in the spotless robe of celestial glory4 ,we know that our latter end is coming1 but we know not when it will come1 or who of the living will be with us when it does come2 nor do we know whether we shall pass away1 like ,dr4 ,gordon1 while beams of glory are radiating our countenance1 or steal out of life like poor ,old ,rachel1 as from under a pile of material ruins2 but1 for our consolation1 we know that our dear ,redeemer has promised that ,he will come to receive us to himself when we depart hence1 and that where he is we shall be also1 and for ever3 ',wherefore1 comfort one another with these words' 7#a ,thess4 iv4 #ah74 ,,diversity ,,of ,,opinion ,,very ,,natural4 ,one morning1 while ,mrs4 ,stevens was conversing with ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 a girl who had been attending ,mrs4 ,stevens' ,sabbath-school1 and who was going into service1 called at ,fairmount for a ,bible which had been awarded to her for her diligence and propriety of behaviour4 ,after expressing her thanks on receiving it1 she added1 in a very modest tone1 ,i shall value it for your sake1 ,ma'am1 and ,i hope ,i shall love it for its own sake4 ,i was very much pleased1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 with the appearance and manners of your young proteg4 ,the reason she gave for loving the ,bible is a proof of superior intelligence1 and1 ,i should hope1 of decided piety4 ,yes1 she is an amiable girl1 and ,i hope she is pious4 ,she is a rescue from a godless family4 ,her parents are very profane persons1 and their other children are following their example4 ,i have no doubt of her attachment to the ,bible1 for she has made herself very conversant with it4 ,in the evening1 when a few friends were assembled1 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe mentioned how much pleased she had been with the ,sabbath-school girl1 and repeated the remark she made on receiving the ,bible from ,mrs4 ,stevens4 ,,for ,,its ,,own ,,sake1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion2 that is a substantially good reason for loving the ,bible4 ,it is a somewhat singular fact that no book1 on any subject or in any language1 has so completely divided public belief and sympathy1 both on the question of its origin and its practical utility4 ,it certainly1 ,mr4 ,roscoe replied1 is a very singular1 and a very wonderful book3 wonderful1 if true2 more so1 if false4 ,if true1 we can account for its origin2 but how can its origin be accounted for if it be false8 ,if false1 it is an invention2 and not the invention of one man1 but of an organized conspiracy1 and a conspiracy of good men1 for the ,bible is too good a book for bad men to write4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,i admit that a bad man may write a good book2 but to suppose that a number of bad men would conspire to write such a good book as the ,bible1 is to admit as great a moral impossibility as to imagine that a number of good men would form a confederacy in fraud and duplicity1 and then palm off their lying inventions as positive realities4 ,now1 let us look at the case fairly1 and ,i think we may make some logical progress in settling the question of its origin4 ,here is a ,bible1 and it consists of two parts--the ,old and the ,new ,testament2 and we must recollect that the ,old ,testament would be incomplete without the ,new1 and the ,new ,testament would be incomplete without the ,old4 ,each of these parts consists of different books1 or distinct writings1 variously designated1 occupying the space of nearly #bjjj years in the composition of them4 ,if the ,bible had been written by any one man in any one age1 or if it had been written by contemporary writers living in the same city or country1 its integrity might be open to very strong suspicion4 ,but the writers of the ,bible lived in different ages and in different countries1 spoke different languages1 belonged to very different ranks in social life1 and most of them were unknown to each other2 and yet there is1 on all the facts and doctrines1 and institutes of these records1 an exact concurrence#d of testimony running through the whole of their writings4 ,amongst the writers we find legislators1 kings1 poets1 herdsmen1 fishermen2 one was a publican1 and another a tent-maker1 who1 at one period of his life1 denounced as false some of the facts of its record1 which1 on investigation1 he found to be true1 and attested the integrity of his new-formed belief by yielding to a martyr's death4 ,and it will be at once perceived by the intelligent reader1 that these men were no common-place writers2 they moved in no beaten pathway of general knowledge2 they are no copyists--they are originals2 what they tell us no other men had ever thought of1 or1 if they had1 their thoughts died with them1 as they never gave publicity to them4 ,the writers of the ,bible appear amongst us as scribes coming from another world1 well instructed in the mysteries of a unique faith1 admirably adapted to the peculiar exigencies of disordered and perplexed humanity4 ,in addition to the origin of the world and of evil--the mediatorial work and government of the ,son of ,god1 the moral character and condition1 and responsibilities1 and final destiny of the soul of man--and a future economy of existence to last for ever--are the momentous truths which they make known to us1 through the media of their multifarious and diversified compositions2 of history1 prophecy1 parable1 poetic songs1 and plain didactic prose4 #d ,the sceptic will sometimes endeavour to perplex and entangle the faith of an unlearned believer1 by insinuating that1 as he has never traced1 through the medium of exact evidence1 the origin of the different books of the ,bible to their source1 he cannot be assured that his belief is substantially a true belief--it may be1 after all1 nothing but the belief of a fiction4 ,the following quotation from a distinguished writer1 will1 ,i think1 prove as a shield of defence to the faith of the unlearned1 and convince the sceptic himself1 that his objection1 plausible in appearance1 is wanting in logical force3--,it is manifest that the concurrent testimony1 positive or negative1 of several witnesses1 when there can have been no concert1 carries with it a weight independent of that which may belong to each of them1 considered separately4 ,for though1 in such a case1 each of the witnesses should be even considered as wholly undeserving of credit1 still the chances might be incalculable against all agreeing in the same falsehood4 ,it is on this kind of testimony that the generality of mankind believe in the motions of the earth1 and of the heavenly bodies1 c4 ,their belief is not the result of their own observations and calculations1 nor yet again of their implicit reliance on the skill and good faith of any one or more astronomers2 but it rests on the agreement of many independent and rival astronomers1 who want neither the ability nor the will to detect and expose each other's errors4 ,it is on similar grounds that the generality of men believe in the existence and in the genuineness of manuscripts of ancient books4 ,it is not that they have themselves examined these1 or that they rely implicitly on the good faith of those who profess to have done so2 but they rely on the concurrent and uncontradicted testimony of all who have made1 or who might make1 the examination--both unbelievers and believers of various hostile sects1 any one of whom would be sure to seize any opportunity to expose the forgeries or errors of his opponents4--,whately4 ,this observation is the more important because many persons are liable to be startled and dismayed1 on its being pointed out to them that they have been believing something1 as they are led to suppose1 on very insufficient reasons1 when the truth is1 perhaps1 that they have been merely mis-stating their reasons4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,and what is especially deserving of our attention1 is the perfect ease and harmony with which they write on these new and sublime discoveries of moral truth1 while they all write independently of each other4 ,they admit that they are subordinates1 unworthy of the honour of their appointment2 yet each one speaks and writes1 and without any appearance of dogmatism or ostentation1 in the same dignified tone of absolute authority2 the voice which speaks and the hand which writes1 is human1 but what is said or written1 comes from some other source4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir1 ,i think the correctness of your remark can be demonstrated2 at least1 it comes as much within the range of demonstration1 as any moral or historic truth1 or fact1 can be brought4 ,the ,old ,testament is incomplete1 and comparatively valueless1 without the ,new2 and yet it is written under the obvious impression and belief1 that it would be completed2 but on what data could its writers base their calculation1 that they should have successors who would carry on and perfect what they had begun and advanced through several stages of its progress4 ,now1 ,i readily believe1 that a person of a very acute and comprehensive mind1 who has carefully watched and studied the facts and philosophy of history1 may1 on some special occasions1 give some general outline of what will be the state of things within a very near futurity1 if he cautiously avoid going into specific and minute details4 ,but the writers of the ,old ,testament have opened up the roll of a very remote futurity1#e and have recorded extraordinary events1 with their dates and localities1 long before their actual occurrence1 portraying the likeness of ,,messiah the ,,prince1 ages before his appearance on earth1 and doing it with so much exactness1 that it is a perfect resemblance of the wonderful original4 ,how could they have done this1 unless they had been guided by a prescient ,spirit1 to whose eye all the future is as visible as all the past8 #e ,deut4 xviii4 #ae2 ,psal4 xlv4 #a1 #b2 lxxii42 ,isa4 liii42 ,dan4 ix4 #bb1 #bg2 ,zech4 ix4 #i2 ,mal4 iii4 #a4 ,foretelling at the same time1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 his tragical death2 which no one would have expected as the termination of his benevolent career4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,it is1 ,i believe1 a law in the republic of letters1 which no one has attempted to repeal1 that all writers shall have the right of giving1 if they please1 their authorities for what they say2 and of letting us know from what source they derive the information which they supply to us4 ,hence1 no one can reasonably object to let the writers of the ,bible have the protection of this law1 which is of universal application4 ,and what do they say on the question relating to the source of their knowledge8 ,we will take their answer1 and then form our own judgment of its integrity from the facts and evidences of the case4 ,all ,scripture is given by inspiration of ,god3#f holy men of ,god spake as they were moved by the ,holy ,ghost4#g ,this is a concise statement of their testimony on this great question2 and its integrity is fairly sustained by positive and incidental evidence4 ,we see that they have given proofs of foreknowledge which far surpasses the capabilities of the most acute and comprehensive human mind2 while1 at the same time1 they have made known to us a connected series of moral and spiritual truths1 to which no other writers make any allusion1 and of which they could have formed no conception1 unless they had been under superhuman tuition4 ,what they have done1 is its own defence against the imputation of fraud and dishonesty--standing as an imperishable memorial of the love of ,god to man2 and of the fidelity of his servants1 in disclaiming the honour of inventing a theory of faith and morals which justly claims a ,divine origin4 ,this view of the case1 which is their own explanation1 settles the question1 without requiring us to believe physical impossibilities1 or compelling us to reject the unrepealable law of moral evidence4 #f #b ,tim4 iii4 #af4 #g #b ,pet4 i4 #ba4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,and we may1 ,i think1 very properly regard the great moral power of the ,bible as a very telling collateral argument in favour of its ,divine origin4 ,you may take any other book1 on any other subject1 and put it into circulation amongst a mass of people1 either semi-barbarians or highly-polished citizens1 but it will work no beneficial changes in the general aspect of their moral character4 ,it will leave them1 as it finds them4 ,if it finds them1 as in ,india1 bowing down and doing homage to stocks and stones1 it leaves them worshipping the workmanship of their own hands--still revelling in their cruel and obscene abominations4 ,if it finds them1 as in ,rome1 kissing the crucifix--offering up their adorations and orisons to the ,virgin ,mary--or visiting the tomb of a real or legendary saint1 in expectation of some miraculous healing1 it leaves them practising these puerile and senseless exercises4 ,if it finds them1 as in ,russia1 crouching in terror before the great ,tyrant1 doing his biddings like beasts of burden1 it leaves them in this prostrate state of degradation and misery4 ,but put the ,bible into circulation amongst the same class of people1 and1 after a while1 you will perceive that it is taking effect upon them4 ,one reads it1 and feels its moral power on his conscience and his heart2 another reads it1 and he is subdued by its authority2 others read it and the same result follows3 they are drawn together by the attractive power which emanates from it1 and become the nucleus of a new order of human beings springing up in the midst of the unchanged natives of the place4 ,they are of the same ancestral origin1 and follow the same civil and social avocations and professions2 but they are a peculiar people1 resembling the primitive believers of the ,new ,testament in intelligence and daring courage4 ,they are new creatures in ,christ ,jesus2 and1 in process of time1 as they increase in number and consequent activity1 they give a new tone and energy to the moral1 the political1 and the religious sentiments and feelings of an entire community4 ,it is to the ,bible that ,scotland is indebted for her moral greatness2 and ,england never would have risen to her present eminence had it not been for the old ,puritans1 who were animated and sustained by the examples1 and principles1 and spirit of the ,bible1 in their passive sufferings and active exertions in resisting the encroachments and the cruelties of tyranny and oppression4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,your argument1 ,sir1 is a legitimate one1 and it is as logical1 as it is historically true4 ,the book which effects the changes which are essential to the happiness and well-being of men as individuals1 or men living in a community1 but which cannot be effected by the wit or eloquence of man1 may fairly put in a claim to a higher and a purer origin than mere humanity4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,unbelievers1 in general1 do not trouble themselves to account for the origin of the ,bible2 they take for granted that it is a book of mysticism and fraud1 and at once direct their virulence against it1 and hold it up to scorn and contempt4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,and yet1 notwithstanding all these attacks on the ,bible1 it still lives and commands attention4 ,in the estimation of wise and good men1 it takes precedence of all other books3 they not only admire1 but revere and love it4 ,i have in my parish a good old man who has a large library1 and has been a great reader for upwards of twenty years1 but now he very rarely reads any book except his ,bible4 ,on referring1 one day1 to his devoted attachment to the ,bible1 he said--',i feel1 when reading it1 in the presence of ,god1 and what ,i read comes with authority and power4 ,the more ,i read it the more is my attention fixed on another world1 and the more intensely do ,i desire to depart hence4 ,this is a mean and comfortless place of residence when compared with the mansion our ,lord is preparing for us in his ,father's house4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,pious people are very fond of the ,bible1 and their attachment to it increases as they advance in years2 their passion for it is often very strong in death4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,your remark1 ,sir1 recalls to my remembrance what passed1 the other day1 in a casual conversation between an intelligent1 yet very candid sceptic1 and myself4 ',there is1' he said1 'one phenomenon connected with the ,bible which has long puzzled me to account for2 if you can solve it1 ,i shall feel obliged4 ,i have noticed wherever ,i have been--and ,i have travelled through ,europe and ,america--,i have visited ,india and some of the islands of the ,south ,seas1 and resided for awhile amongst the black population of the ,west ,indies--and whenever ,i have met with any persons who believe in the truth of the ,bible1 whether they were refined and intelligent or the reverse1 they uniformly evinced for it the same profound reverence and supreme attachment4' ',the solution1' ,i replied1 'is easily given4 ,they revere it as their statute-book1 containing the code of laws which their ,divine ,legislator has issued to test their obedience to his authority2 and they love it1 as bringing life and immortality to light2 making known to them a ,saviour who is able and willing to save them from the wrath to come1 and to give them peace of soul as an earnest and a pledge of future and eternal happiness2 and they value it for its exceeding great and precious promises1 which have a soothing and sustaining influence over their hearts in the times of their sorrows and afflictions4' ',but how is it1' he added1 'that while they cherish such a profound reverence for the ,bible1 they differ so widely in the interpretation they put on its meaning8 ,how will you account for this rather puzzling fact8' ,the sudden entrance of several strangers into the room prevented me from making a reply4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,this difference of interpretation1 which sceptics often bring forward as a plausible argument against the ,divine origin of the ,bible1 very frequently perplexes conscientious believers4 ,i recently received a letter from a gentleman who says--',when ,i think of the sentiments which are held by different bodies of ,christians--sentiments which are directly opposed to each other1 and which appear to me to admit of no adjustment2 and when ,i recollect that they all profess to derive them from the same source1 and are in the habit of appealing to the same authority in support of them--,i feel myself approaching a difficulty which ,i know not how to solve4 ,is the ,bible really such a mysterious book that it is incapable of being understood8 ,is it an oracle which utters truth and falsehood8 ,if so1 it cannot be a safe guide2 and if it be not so1 how do you account for the very different interpretations which it receives8' ,mr4 ,stevens4--,how did you meet the difficulties of the case8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i did not go fully into the question1 because ,i knew1 from the cast of his mind1 that he would work himself right4 ,i merely stated that conflicting opinions do not1 of themselves1 possess sufficient weight to set aside any law1 or destroy the truth of any proposition which comes attested by its own proper evidence4 ,and to give force to this very obvious truism1 ,i reminded him of our judges1 who sometimes give different interpretations of a statute law1 without impairing its authority2 and of our philosophers1 whose different opinions on the primary cause of motion1 do not disturb popular belief in the diurnal revolution of our earth4 ,but1 after all1 we do not differ in our interpretations of the ,bible so much as many imagine4 ,it is true there are separate and distinct denominations of ,christians1 who are regarded by the ignorant and bigoted as the disciples and abettors of very opposite religious creeds2 yet if we inquire into the actual state of the case1 we shall find that most of them agree in all that is essential and vitally important in the ,christian scheme1 and that they differ only on what is subordinate1 and comparatively unimportant4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,it is supposed by many that this diversity of interpretation which is given to some parts of the ,bible would have been prevented if a logical or systematic order had been scrupulously observed4 ,if1 for example1 the sacred writers had arranged the facts1 the doctrines1 the precepts1 the institutions1 the sanctions1 the evidences1 and the final recompense of the ,christian faith1 systematically--presenting the whole in a compendious form--there would be1 in that case1 so much compactness1 such symmetrical order--one part of the theory would hang so naturally on another--that it would be extremely difficult1 if not impossible1 for any division of opinion to spring up amongst us on the question of its import or design4 ,we should then think and believe alike4 ,this is what ,i have heard some speculatists say2 but ,i have no confidence in the integrity of their opinion4#h #h ,no such a thing1 says ,archbishop ,whately1 is to be found in our ,scriptures as a catechism1 or regular elementary introduction to the ,christian religion2 nor do they furnish us with anything of the nature of a systematic creed1 set of articles1 confession of faith1 or by whatever other name one may designate a regular1 complete compendium of ,christian doctrines2 nor1 again1 do they supply us with a liturgy for ordinary public worship1 or with forms for administering the sacraments1 or for conferring holy orders2 nor do they even give any precise directions as to these and other ecclesiastical matters--anything that at all corresponds to a rubric1 or set of canons4 ,why these omissions8 ,a great defect in our ,scriptures1 say some2 but1 in my opinion1 it amounts to a self-evident confirmation1 that the writers of the ,new ,testament were under the special dictation of the ,divine ,spirit1 as to what they should1 and what they should not record4 ,if they were carrying out a fraudulent design1 conceived by their predecessors1 who wrote the ,old ,testament1 they would1 from their educational training and desire to act in character with their confederates1 have imitated their example1 and been very specific and minute in all their ecclesiastic arrangements4 ,they would have inserted the law of dictation and prescription1 which was so absolute under the ,jewish theocracy1 in the ,christian code1 and thus have rendered division of opinion and freedom of action impossible4 ,the question then turns upon us3 ,why did they not do what it was very natural they should do1 and what the necessity of the case would seem to require to be done1 according to the judgment of every intelligent and reflective mind1 who looked at it through the medium of the existing ecclesiastical regulations of the age and country8 ,their not doing what was thus natural they should do1 and what the necessity of the case1 according to human judgment1 required them to do1 is of itself a proof that they were not left to the guidance of their own understanding1 but were held in subjection1 according to their own confession1 by the controlling power and wisdom of the ,holy ,ghost1 under whose inspiration all ,scripture is given4 ,the ,jewish ritual1 designed for one nation and country1 and intended to be of temporary duration1 was fixed and accurately prescribed4 ,the same ,divine wisdom1 from which both dispensations proceeded1 having designed ,christianity for all nations and ages1 left ,christians at large in respect of those points in which variation might be desirable4 ,but ,i think no human wisdom would have foreseen and provided for this4 ,that a number of ,jews1 accustomed from their infancy to so strict a ritual1 should1 in introducing ,christianity as the second part of the same dispensation1 have abstained not only from accurately prescribing for the use of all ,christian churches for ever the mode of ,divine worship1 but even from recording what was actually in use under their own directions1 does seem to me utterly incredible1 unless we suppose them to have been restrained from doing this by a special admonition of the ,divine ,spirit4--,whately4 ,at any rate1 whether these omissions are to be attributed to the controlling power of the ,holy ,ghost1 or the extraordinary policy of the writers of the ,new ,testament1 we arrive at the same conclusion1 that1 while we are required to believe1 and to contend earnestly for the essential facts and doctrines of the ,christian faith1 which are set out with great precision and explicitness1 a freedom of action is allowed on what may be deemed the subordinate and non-essential parts of the same faith4 ,hence we may differ on some things1 without any valid impeachment of our ,christian wisdom and integrity1 unless we allow our difference of opinion to produce alienation of brotherly affection4 ,when it does this1 we make a sacrifice of our honour1 and give a sanction to the accusation of the common adversary1 that our hostile divisions are a proof that our religion does not come from a wise and benevolent ,being--that it is of the earth1 earthy4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,the objections against an inspired compendium of ,christian doctrine and practice1 are1 in my judgment1 more powerful than the arguments in favour of it4 ,if we had it1 we should revere it1 and learn it2 it would perpetually recur to our recollection in our reflective moments1 and by rendering a studious examination of the other parts of the ,scripture unnecessary1 we should be liable to sink into 'a contented apathy' of spirit1 under this conviction1 that as we can repeat all1 we know all that is necessary for us to know4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,archbishop ,whately1 when alluding to this subject1 says1 'that if we had this compendium1 both it and the other parts of the ,scriptures would be regarded as of ,divine authority2 but the compendium itself would be looked upon by most as the fused and purified metal2 the other1 as the mine containing the crude ore4 ,and the compendium itself1 being1 not like the existing ,scriptures1 that from which the faith is to be learned1 but the very thing to be learned1 would come to be regarded by most with an indolent1 unthinking veneration1 which would exercise little or no influence over them4' ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,universal experience proves1 that facility in obtaining a supply to our physical necessities1 is not so beneficial to the energy and vigour of the human constitution1 as difficulty1 which stimulates to labour and invention4 ,compare1 for example1 the natives of the ,south ,sea ,islands1 whose bread-fruit ripens of itself1 with the hardy ,highlanders of ,scotland1 who have to toil for their living through frost and snow1 as well as sunshine--what a difference in their muscular and masculine conformation and appearance4 ,and the same remark is equally applicable to the mind of man1 whose knowledge on any subject1 in any department of science1 and especially the science of ,biblical theology1 is accurate and profound1 in proportion to the efforts he is obliged to make in its acquisition4 ,a compendium would be the bread-fruit1 within reach1 and easily plucked4 ,we should1 if we had it1 become dwarfs in ,biblical theology4 ,it is only when our energies are roused by a love of the truth1 and stimulated by the difficulties connected with its attainment1 that our knowledge in the mystery of ,christianity gets perfected1 and becomes practically powerful in its influence over the heart and the character4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,and in addition to the relaxing influence which a compendium would exert over the mind--indisposing it to any labour in searching the ,scriptures1 except the labour of the memory1 and that to a very superficial extent--,i have another objection to such a projected scheme1 which is this3--,i do not think it possible for the ,christian faith to be reduced to such a compact1 or what you term compendious form1 as shall secure amongst its advocates and defenders a perfect unity of belief on all points1 without the perpetual exercise of a supernatural agency in the illumination and guidance of the mind1 which would amount to something like a plenary inspiration to every believer4 ,now what can be more logically explicit than the articles of our church2 and yet what a very different construction do different men put upon them6 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,that is true4 ,if ,i were in a church on a ,sabbath morning listening to a ,tractarian2 if ,i returned in the afternoon1 and heard a ,moderate2 and if1 in the evening1 ,i occupied the same pew1 while an ,evangelical was doing duty in the pulpit1 ,i should find myself in a modern ,babel1 witnessing1 on a small scale1 a new specimen of the confusion of tongues4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,but this difference of opinion and diversity of interpretation on the same theory of belief1 prevails amongst others as well as amongst us4 ,even amongst unbelievers1 who almost deify reason--asserting and maintaining1 that it is fully equal to all the exigencies of humanity1 without being under any obligation to a ,divine inspiration--there is almost an endless diversity of belief and opinion on all questions relating to ,god1 to human responsibility1 and the final destiny of man4 ,they are obliged to pass a toleration act to live in peace4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i like a toleration act2 it is essential to our peace4 ,the period is coming when we shall 'see eye to eye2' but that will be under a dispensation very different to the present2 we must now agree to differ1 and while contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints1 we must live together as brethren4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,jesus ,christ said to his disciples--',these things ,i command you1 that ye love one another' 7,john xv4 #ag72 and he says the same things to us4 ,and if we love one another1 we shall never vote for a repeal of our toleration act1 which admits of some shades of difference in our religious belief and opinions4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,it was doubted1 a few years since1 whether even the spiritual members of our various denominations cherished any fraternal esteem and affection for each other--they often acted more like gladiators than brethren2 but now they are cultivating a spirit of union and peace4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,this change in their spirit and conduct is a very gratifying and auspicious event2 but some good men maintain that the entire abolition of the distinctive denominations and their union in one undivided body1 would be more conducive to the honour of ,christianity1 and more favourable to its progressive triumphs4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,this ,i conceive to be impracticable during the partial obscurity of the present dispensation2 and ,i must confess that ,i do not think it advisable4 ,i have no objection to those divisions of opinion which separate us into different denominations1 though ,i deplore the spirit which they sometimes engender4 ,i think that a variation in belief1 on some of the minor questions of religion1 by keeping our attention awake and active1 tends to preserve the more important truths in a purer state2 and the action and re-action of one ,christian denomination on another1 prevents that stagnation of feeling1 and that inertness of principle1 which an unbroken and undisturbed uniformity admits of4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but1 would not the church assume a more imposing aspect1 and put forth a more powerful energy1 if she could unite all her members in one undivided body1 under the immediate authority of one ,head1 than she does now1 broken as she is1 into so many subdivisions8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir1 if she could preserve her purity uncontaminated2 but we ought never to forget1 that while the religion we profess is ,divine in its origin1 and indestructible in its nature1 it is human in its forms and administrations4 ,hence it alternately displays resistless power and exhausted weakness--the sanctity and grandeur of its ,author1 along with the infirmities and imperfections of the agents to whom it is intrusted--sometimes exciting the profound veneration of the multitude1 and at other times their contempt or indifference4 ,and it is this admixture of what is human with what is ,divine1 that renders it expedient that there should be some exposure to the influence of that re-action of distinctive opinions1 and of social attachments1 which1 by keeping us alive to the purity and extension of our separate communions1 tends to promote the purity and extension of the faith which we hold in common4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,your opinion exactly accords with my own4 ,hence1 instead of regarding the ,established ,church1 and the various denominations of orthodox ,dissenters1 as hostile foes1 aiming at each other's humiliation and destruction1 we should look on them as subjects of the same monarch1 each bearing the distinctive insignia of his own order2 yet mutually supporting each other without the formality of a visible contact1 and1 as his sovereign will directs1 advancing1 each in his own way1 the work of reclaiming to a state of allegiance the people who have revolted from his authority4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,or1 to vary the figure1 we may view them as so many servants belonging to the same master1 who are employed in cultivating the great moral vineyard1 whose reward at last will be in proportion to their fidelity to him1 and their affection for each other4 ,if this comparison be just1 then1 if we cherish a complacent feeling exclusively for those who belong to our own class1 and attempt to lord it over our fellow-servants who may belong to another1 or treat them discourteously1 we dishonour ourselves1 and offend against the law of our ,lord1 who has commanded us to love each other as brethren4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,when ,i consider the fallibility of the human mind--the prejudices of education--the influence of accidental reading and associations--and the extensive prevalence of erroneous opinions1 instead of being astonished by the shades of difference which prevail amongst us1 ,i am surprised that we think so nearly alike4 ,we agree on the substantial facts1 and doctrines1 and institutes1 and precepts of revelation1 while we differ on some of its forms and ceremonial enactments4 ,but these trifling differences1 which do not endanger the safety1 nor add to the stability of our faith1 ought not to excite jealousy and suspicion1 and cause alienation of affection1 as though we were avowed enemies4 ,no4 ,when this is the case we give a decisive proof that we do not possess the spirit of the gospel2 or1 if we possess it1 we do not display it1 which aggravates rather than extenuates our sin4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,in the last prayer our ,saviour uttered1 just before he presented himself the expiatory sacrifice for human guilt1 he earnestly entreated that all his disciples1 in every future age1 might be one1 even as he and his ,father are one2 and he assigns the reason--,that the world may know that thou hast sent me4 ,for some ages1 the object of that prayer was realized in the harmony which prevailed amongst ,christians whose religion was a bond of union more strict and tender than the ties of consanguinity2 and with the appellation of brethren they associated all the sentiments of endearment that relation implied4 ,to see men of the most contrary characters and habits--the learned and the rude--the most polished1 and the most uncultivated--the inhabitants of countries alienated from each other by institutions the most repugnant1 and by contests the most violent--forgetting their ancient animosity1 and blending into one mass1 at the command of a person whom they had never seen1 and who had ceased to be an inhabitant of this world1 must have been an astonishing spectacle4 ,such a sudden assimilation of the most discordant materials2 such love issuing from hearts the most selfish1 and giving birth to a new race and progeny1 could be ascribed to nothing but a ,divine interposition2 it was an experimental proof of the commencement of that kingdom of ,god--that celestial economy1 by which the powers of the future world are imparted to the present4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,it must have been a spectacle no less delightful to the eye of the ,christian than astonishing to the unbeliever2 and had the visible church always exhibited such a spectacle of union and affection1 her history would have been the records of her spiritual triumphs1 rather than of her persecutions and her miseries4 ,but her bonds of union have been broken asunder1 and her love of the brethren has been quenched in the bitter waters of strife4 ,we are the descendants of the holy men who first caught1 and first displayed the spirit of the ,prince of ,peace1 but how little do we resemble them6 ,we imbibe the same faith1 plead the same promises1 claim the same privileges1 participate in the same spiritual enjoyments1 bear the same distinctive and relative character1 and anticipate the same high destiny2 but we too often act as though we were released from the obligations which they admitted and discharged2 and instead of attempting to convince sceptics and unbelievers of the divinity of our ,lord's mission1 and the moral efficacy of his death1 by our union and our reciprocal affection1 we strengthen them in their infidelity by our anti-,christian spirit4 ,can no remedy be devised to correct this noxious evil1 which1 like a withering blight1 tarnishes the moral lustre of all our distinctive denominations1 and does more to embitter the spirit1 and extend the triumphs of infidelity1 than the most virulent works which issue from her corrupt and hostile press8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,why1 ,sir1 ,i hope the evil is in some small degree abated by the influence of our public institutions4 ,those who1 a few years since1 were envious and jealous of each other1 now associate together on the most friendly terms4 ,if the ,bible ,society has not terminated the contest1 it has been the means of concluding a truce between them2 and ,i flatter myself that there will be no renewal of hostilities1 even though some of the more bigoted belonging to the different denominations should feel disposed to revive them4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,i fear1 ,sir1 you are rather too sanguine in your expectations4 ,in the little circle in which we move1 in this isolated spot of the religious world1 the spirit of fraternal love and union is cherished2 but what commotion and strife prevail just now between both the clerical and lay members of our own church6 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir1 ,i know it and deplore it4 ,it is the spirit of dry formalism setting itself in array against the spirit of vital ,christianity2 and the contest will be severe1 but the issue is certain--the ,word of the ,lord will prove more powerful than the traditions of man4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,i must confess that ,i am rather sanguine in my calculations of the moral influence of the ,bible ,society on the best and most active men of our age4 ,dr4 ,mason1 of ,new ,york1 says1 in the preface to a work which he has published--',within a few years there has been a manifest relaxation of sectarian rigour among the different denominations in ,america1 so that the spirit of the gospel1 in the culture of fraternal charity1 has gained a visible and growing ascendency4 ,this happy alteration1' he adds1 'may be attributed1 in a great degree1 to the influence of missionary and ,bible societies4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,and it is so amongst us to some extent4 ,till the ,bible ,society arose1 and gained a settlement in our land1 we had not an inch of neutral ground on which we could assemble1 and unite with each other in any religious enterprise2 but now we have the province of ,goshen assigned us2 and the air of that place is so salubrious1 the light so clear and brilliant1 the atmosphere so temperate and serene1 and the harmony of its inhabitants so profound1 that we venerate it as the mystic inclosure in which we have an emblematical representation of the celestial inheritance--in which the spirits of the just live in closest union and sweetest concord4 ,may the catholicism of grace and truth wax stronger and stronger1 till ,ephraim shall not envy ,judah1 nor ,judah vex ,ephraim2 the strife of sect being overcome and banished by the all-subduing love of ,god our ,saviour6 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,and what is it but prejudice1 arising from ignorance and misconception1 which prevents this cordial union and fraternal attachment8 ,no one1 ,i am conscious1 who understands the genius of ,christianity1 or who has ever felt his bosom glow with supreme love to the ,redeemer1 can for a single moment presume to recommend disunion amongst the members of the household of faith1 though they may occupy different compartments1 and commune at separate tables4 ,it is prejudice that kept me aloof from ,dissenters1 and made me unwilling to associate with them2 because ,i understood that the generality of them rejected the essential doctrines of ,christianity2 but now my error is corrected1 ,i esteem them as my brethren in ,christ2 and as ,i hope to meet them in heaven1 and unite with them in the sublime exercises of that holy place1 ,i feel a pleasure in mingling with them on earth4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i have lived on terms of intimacy with many who do not belong to the church of which ,i am a minister1 and some of the happiest moments of my life have been spent in social and spiritual intercourse with them4 ,our conversation1 when we have been together1 has not turned on the questions on which we differ1 but on those on which we agree2 and ,i have often retired from these interviews with my mind relieved from its cares1 and both animated and enriched by the interchange of devout sentiment and feeling4 ,and in looking forward to the final consummation1 ,i indulge a hope of partaking of much holy delight in associating with ,luther and ,calvin1 with ,fenelon and ,claude1 with ,whitfield and ,wesley1 with ,hall1 ,foster and ,chalmers1 and other illustrious men1 of the same and other denominations1 who have entered into rest4 ,i have lived in stormy times1 but ,i have never increased the fury of the tempest4 ,i have seen the spirit of party raging with desolating violence1 and have known some of those1 who have borne the image of the heavenly1 stand in opposing columns to each other in the field of fierce and angry debate2 but ,i have been enabled1 through the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 to hold on my way unconnected with their unhappy hostilities2 and now it is with no common feelings of gratitude and delight that ,i indulge the hope of leaving the church and the world at a period when1 if the temple of war is not actually closed1 yet our denominations are forming a more correct estimate of each other's relative strength and importance1 in the conflict which we have to sustain against the combined powers of superstition and infidelity2 and this will necessarily tend to increase our reciprocal esteem and confidence4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,if1 in our intercourse with each other1 we always acted on your prudential maxim1 of conversing on questions of general agreement1 rather than on controversial ones1 the spirit of discord would be exorcised from amongst us1 and then we might1 ,i think1 justly calculate on a more copious measure of the influences of the ,spirit poured down from on high1 when we should intuitively feel1 by a force of evidence too powerful to be withstood1 that ,god is love1 and that we never please him more than when we embrace1 with cordiality and esteem1 all who bear his image1 without distinction of sect or party4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,in these sentiments of ,christian liberality and charity ,i now concur most heartily4 ,,union ,,without ,,compromise ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 on resuming the discussion of the question of union amongst the various denominations of believers in the ,divine origin of the faith of ,christianity1 made the following very pertinent remarks3--,if it were the will of ,god that the various denominations of ,christians should all think and act alike1 as the tribes of ,israel were required to do under the ,levitical dispensation1 we should have laws laid down for our guidance with the same minuteness and explicitness as was done for them4 ,but such is not the case4 ,we have certain general principles laid down1 and the motives by which all our actions should be governed set before us with clearness and precision1 but we have no particular directions as to the external form of church government4 ,we are therefore left free to adopt that ecclesiastical system which1 after careful examination1 we find most in conformity with the spirit of the ,new ,testament4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,you mean1 ,sir1 ,i presume1 that we are left free to choose either the ,episcopal1 or ,presbyterian1 or ,congregational form of church government8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir2 and though ,i do not profess to be deeply read in casuistry1 yet ,i believe that very much may be collected from the facts and incidents recorded in ,scripture1 and from the casual expressions of the sacred writers in favour of each of these forms of church government4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,and so ,i think4 ,we are not living under a law laid down with minute exactness1 like the ancient tribes of ,israel1 but have the right of exercising our choice on these matters of church polity1 and our choice is determined by preference or expediency1 or both4 ,that is1 ,i may deem it expedient to be an ,episcopalian in one country1 or a ,presbyterian in another1 or a ,congregationalist in a third2 and ,i may1 at the same time1 most decidedly prefer one of these modes of church government to either of the other1 as being1 in my opinion1 the nearest approach to the teachings of the ,new ,testament4 ,to adopt such a principle as this is1 appears to me more in harmony with the spirit of the ,new ,testament dispensation1 than putting in a claim for the ,divine right of ,episcopacy1 or ,presbyterianism1 or ,congregationalism2 it is an equitable concession to others of the liberty we claim for ourselves2 and hence1 without being guilty of any degree of inconsistency1 we can cultivate ,christian fellowship with our brethren of other denominations1 without compromising our own principles4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,you will still leave1 ,i presume1 as a question open for discussion1 the relative conformity of each mode of church government to the ,new ,testament model8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,most certainly2 and when discussions go on1 untainted by the dogmatism and acrimony of party predilections and antipathies1 and are conducted in a liberal and loving spirit1 they tend to give solidity to the foundation on which our relative union is based2 and show1 at the same time1 that it can be cemented and perpetuated without any dishonourable compromise4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,i was present in a company some time since1 when an ingenious ,scotchman made out1 as he thought1 a very strong claim for the superiority of ,presbyterianism to the other forms of church government4 ,episcopacy1 he remarked1 has the monarchical element too dominant in her constitution--the clergy are everything2 in ,congregationalism1 the democratic element is too dominant--the people are everything2 but ,presbyterianism unites the two elements1 and in about equal proportions the clergy and the people act together--they are a combined power4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,ingenious1 if not just4 ,however1 without pausing to discuss this question1 ,i think it is very plain that the writers of the ,new ,testament evince a much stronger predilection for the facts and doctrines of the gospel than they do for its rites and ceremonies--deeming the one essential to the integrity of the faith1 while the other is subordinate and non-essential2 and ,i think we cannot do better than imitate them2 for after all1 the forms and ceremonies of church government are but as the chaff to the wheat--the mere attire of a living personage1 not the person himself4 ,i prefer ,episcopacy to either of the other forms1 though ,i will not take upon myself the task of defending every appendage which has been affixed to it2 yet1 with all my predilections in its favour1 if the pure faith of ,christianity were ejected from an ,episcopal pulpit1 as it often is1 ,i would go and worship in a ,congregational chapel2 and ,i have no doubt but a spiritually-enlightened ,presbyterian would rather listen to the glad tidings of salvation in one of our churches1 than to a merely moral sermon in one of his own4 ,in my opinion1 the three distinct orders of churches may be planted on the same soil1 may grow in harmony side by side2 and without any compromise of principle1 may co-operate with each other1 in combined movements1 against either their ,papal or sceptical opponents1 and feel also a high degree of joyous satisfaction in witnessing each other's prosperity and honour4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yet ,i still prefer fellowship with our own church1 while cherishing fraternal esteem and fellowship with our ,christian brethren of other churches4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,certainly4 ,when we say that the members of our church1 and the various orders of ,dissenters who have seceded from it1 ought1 in obedience to the authority of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 to cherish reciprocal esteem1 and live in peaceful harmony1 we do not mean that they are to separate themselves from their own communions1 or cease to give them a decided preference4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,in that view of the case ,i heartily concur2 for if the spirit of a comprehensive brotherly love and fellowship were to lead to alienation from our distinctive denominations1 it would want one of the evidences of being a peace-maker--healing the breaches which party spirit has unhappily made amongst us4 ,as a member of a family ought to feel a stronger regard1 and take a deeper interest in its prosperity and happiness1 than he is expected to cultivate towards the community at large1 so ,i think the member of any individual ,christian church1 may and ought to cherish a greater affection for his brethren with whom he lives on more intimate terms of fellowship than he does for his fellow-disciples in general4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,you have1 ,sir1 very clearly expressed the view ,i now entertain of our relative obligations4 ,we are to do good to all when we have an opportunity1 but more especially to those of the household of faith with whom we are united in church fellowship--uniformly endeavouring1 by our prayers1 our influence1 our wealth1 and our sympathy1 to promote their individual and collective prosperity and happiness4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,you are now leading us from the sentimental and ceremonial to the practical department of ,christian obligation1 in which ,i think1 from motives of gratitude to our ,divine ,master1 we ought all to be increasingly active1 provoking one another unto love and good works4 ,this will be acting more in harmony with our faith1 and prove more beneficial to ourselves and others than a rigid adherence to any sectarian form4 ,when returning home the other day from one of my pastoral visitations1 ,i met a very poor man1 who had a severe affliction in his family1 and he said rather abruptly1 ',i wish1 ,sir1 you would give us a sermon from the words of the apostle ,john1 ',but whoso hath this world's good1 and seeth his brother have need1 and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him1 how dwelleth the love of ,god in him8' 7#a ,john iii4 #ag74' ,i was not surprised at this application1 when ,i found that he had just been to the ,hall1 the residence of a very wealthy professor of religion1 to ask some assistance for his distressed family1 but had received only a few words of vague sympathy and regret for his misfortunes4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,well may the apostle say--how dwelleth the love of ,god in such a heart6 ,but1 alas1 wealth too often proves a curse to its possessor4 ,how kindly and tenderly does the apostle address us3 ',my little children1 let us not love in word1 neither in tongue1 but in deed and in truth4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,our ,divine ,master exhibits himself as the model for our imitation2 making1 at the same time1 our love for each other the test of the genuineness of our ,christian character3 ',a new commandment ,i give unto you1 that ye love one another2 as ,i have loved you1 that ye also love one another4 ,by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples1 if ye have love one to another' 7,john xiii4 #cd1 #ce74 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,as ,i have loved you6--emphatic words1 expressive of the spirit we ought to cultivate towards all our ,christian brethren1 especially the afflicted1 and prescribing the rule for our conduct towards them4 ,if we imbibe this spirit and act upon it1 we shall then endeavour to cheer them with our sympathy in the hours of their grief and mourning1 and cheerfully draw from our worldly resources to afford them relief when in want4 ,i remember now an anecdote told by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,jay3--,a pious1 but poor member of his church being visited by one of the deacons1 and presented with five shillings as a church gift1 with the remark1 ',here is a trifle for your necessities1' replied1 ',what you call a trifle1 ,i call an estate4' ,miss ,roscoe4--,i believe1 dear uncle1 that you now have in your congregation an organized society1 labouring to promote the physical as well as the spiritual good of the needy and destitute4 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,o yes1 we are working the principle of practical benevolence1 and on the basis of a comprehensive union2 and ,i am happy to say it works well in spite of the grumblers who would rather sleep on and take their rest than be roused to action4 ,the gentlemen take the management of the domiciliary society1 going from house to house with tracts1 c41 c41 and the ladies manage the ,dorcas society1 which is in a very flourishing condition4 ,in addition to a pretty large number of subscribers1 we have twenty working members who meet once a fortnight for the purpose of making clothes for the poor4 ,some of these are persons of wealth1 others are in moderate circumstances2 and1 as in the gentlemen's society1 some are church people1 and some are ,dissenters1 you may there see sitting in peaceful harmony1 members of the various denominations1 all busily engaged in the same sort of labour1 and heartily prosecuting the same work4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,then you have grumblers amongst you6 ,mrs4 ,roscoe4--,indeed1 we have4 ,they are a very prolific family--they may be found everywhere1 and the whole fraternity is distinguished by a strong family likeness4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,do you give the clothes to the poor1 or do you sell them8 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,in general we sell what we make1 yet very much below the cost price2 but in extreme cases we give clothing1 and1 in addition to this1 when any of those who require relief are ill1 we visit them1 and we often find that a kind visit is esteemed as much1 if not more than our gratuities4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,i can easily believe that1 because there is great power in sympathy to alleviate the sorrows of the heart4 ,we cannot explain the action of moral power1 nor conceive the mode of its operation1 however sensible we may be of its effects4 ,what power1 for example1 in a frown to depress6 and in a smile to elevate and tranquillize6 ,what power in words both to cheer and sadden the heart6 ,as ,i have loved you--these expressive words should guide our fraternal intercourse with our ,christian brethren1 who1 when they feel our sympathy to be real1 will often attach a much greater value to it than to any amount of pecuniary assistance4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,we are too apt to forget that our ,christian brethren1 in common with ourselves1 are children of one ,father1 and that we are all now passing through a preparatory discipline to fit us for a higher and purer condition of existence in another world4 ,if these great facts were more powerfully impressed on our hearts1 there would be more sympathy and more charity2 the rich would cheerfully administer to the wants of their poor brethren1 and those who have but little worldly substance to bestow1 would more often soothe and enliven them by their sympathy and good wishes4 ,christian fellowship would then be more than a mere term--it would be a reality4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,your remarks1 ,sir1 are quite correct4 ,and here we see the wisdom as well as the love of our ,redeemer in grafting our obligations to the most intimate ,christian fellowship on the very constitution of our nature1 which inclines us to live in social intercourse2 guarding us at the same time from the danger of contracting a sectarian spirit by enjoining on us the duty of doing good unto all men1 as well as to those who belong to the household of faith4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,it is to be lamented1 ,sir1 that there are many who do not keep pace in liberality of sentiment and feeling1 and generosity of disposition1 with the denomination or church to which they belong--they will not labour in the field of practical benevolence1 and they do not like to see others exerting themselves2 in fact1 they will do nothing but find fault with the active labourers1 either impeaching the purity of their motives1 or predicting the failure1 if not the pernicious results of their efforts4 ,and when these morbid grumblers happen to be imbued1 as is often the case1 with a sectarian spirit1 and take rank with high churchmen or with bigoted ,dissenters1 the moment they see a conjunction of the different orders1 they tremble for the safety of the ark of their covenant1 and raise a hue and cry against the union of the sects--become bitter in their spirit and censorious in their speech--and appear in a light very unbecoming the genuine disciples of our ,lord4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,such professors do essential injury1 not only to the honour of the church and denomination to which they belong1 but to the cause of religion in general4 ,the evil which results from the anti-,christian temper and spirit of these arrogant and censorious professors1 who usually contrive to attract more notice than the rest of their fellow-members1 is incalculable4 ,it supplies infidels with their most plausible topics of invective2 it hardens the conscience of the irreligious1 weakens the hands of the good1 and is probably the principal obstruction to that ample effusion of the ,holy ,spirit which is essential to the renovation of the world4 ,if1 then1 we wish to make any deep and permanent impression on the sceptical and irreligious--to silence their objections and convince them of the ,divine origin of the faith which we profess--we must correct our tempers--we must live in peace amongst ourselves1 discover no disposition to injure or annoy each other1 and give unequivocal proof that the questions on which we differ are the subordinate tenets of revelation1 which may be received or rejected without affecting its truth1 or impairing its strength2 and1 by a union of affection and concentration of our talents1 we must advance in the beautiful development of our ,christian life1 remembering that the wisdom which is from above is 'first pure1 then peaceable1 gentle1 and easy to be intreated2 full of mercy and good fruits1 without partiality1 and without hypocrisy4' ,when the pious members of the ,establishment and the various denominations of evangelical ,dissenters are brought to merge their speculative and ceremonial differences in the cultivation and display of this ,christian temper1 the eulogium pronounced on the primitive disciples may then with truth be applied to us--',see how these ,christians love one another6' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,the novelty of the sight would certainly command attention2 and though ,i am fully persuaded that nothing but a supernatural power can renovate the human heart1 yet such a display of united affection might have a wondrous effect1 almost approaching that of a miracle1 in the conversion of the world4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,if it be true that our personal happiness bears a proportion to our conformity to the spirit and temper of ,jesus ,christ1 it is evident that a liberal-minded ,christian must partake of a much larger share of enjoyment than one who lives under the influence of that sectarian bigotry which keeps him in a state of alienation from his brethren of other communions4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,most certainly1 ,sir2 and by your permission ,i will now read you a paragraph with which ,i was very forcibly struck when ,i first lighted upon it4 ,the author is speaking of bigotry1 and he says1 ',this sectarian and intolerant spirit can view no excellence out of its own pale1 and deems every opinion heresy that does not bow to its authority4 ,its plans of doing good always betray the selfishness of their origin2 and unable from its very nature to form designs commensurate with the grandeur of religion and the necessities of the world1 it not only refuses to co-operate with ,christians of another party in promoting the well-being of society and the advancement of religion1 but contemplates with jealousy and often with abhorrence1 the noblest efforts of benevolence1 when not performed under its exclusive auspices4 ,persons governed by such a spirit cannot view with complacency the separate divisions of the universal church1 though there is nothing in their constitution that necessarily militates against the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace4 ,this unlovely bigotry narrows the range of the intellect--perverts and contracts the best affections--and1 under its influence1 even good men forget the charities of their renewed nature1 and sometimes prostitute their talents to bear false witness against each other4 ,to this bigotry1 that religion1 whose very essence is love1 is directly opposed4 ,christians who imbibe the spirit of the ,new ,testament1 and who suffer that holy book to operate with full force upon their minds1 are distinguished by a noble freedom from sectarian antipathies4 ,they can say from the heart1 ',grace be with all who love our ,lord ,jesus ,christ in sincerity4' ,without verging to the extreme of latitudinarian indifference1 they can rejoice in the success of parties different from their own1 and they do not complain because 'devils are cast out by those who follow not with them4' ,every man is a friend and a brother who consecrates his being to the glory of the ,saviour1 and every society a church in whose temple ,jesus evidently records his name4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 ,sir1 ,i am conscious that a pious man1 who possesses the pure spirit of his religion1 is at once the most useful and the most happy man4 ,as his happiness arises from sources more refined than those to which the men of the world have access1 his usefulness is of a more important and more durable nature4 ,i remember an observation which was once made on a friend of my own1 when he withdrew from a select company to which he had been communicating some benevolent scheme--',when he visits us he always leaves something behind that is worth thinking of and worth talking about4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir2 as the spirit of the gospel is a liberal so it is an active spirit4 ,it does not wish to monopolize the immunities of religion1 but to diffuse them2 and such is the intensity and ardour of its benevolence that the meanest1 the most abject child of sorrow1 the poor outcast from the common sympathies of humanity1 the forlorn object of woe whom few men would pity1 whom no man could save1 are the partakers of its bounties4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,as the general well-being of society is essentially benefited by the active benevolence of ,christianity1 may we not1 ,sir1 indulge a hope that the prosperity of vital religion in our different communions1 would be promoted by the cultivation of a reciprocal affection8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,there may be1 ,i grant1 external prosperity in our churches1 even while the vital spirit of religion is languishing in the hearts of the people2 as the oak may send forth its spreading branches and luxuriant foliage1 when at the heart the tree is hollow and rotten4 ,and perhaps the vital spirit of religion is exposed to more danger in the season of external prosperity than in the season of external adversity4 ,when the congregation is large1 and the spirit of unanimity and liberality is generally displayed--when a cordial attachment subsists between the pastors and their people2 and the lookers-on are heard to exclaim1 they are of one heart and of one soul1 some may be tempted to forget from whom these invaluable blessings proceed1 and cherish a self-complacent1 if not an independent spirit4 ,but ,i never knew vital religion flourish amongst any people who were not united4 ,the ,spirit of the ,holy ,one never comes to breathe on the dry bones of the slain when the valley echoes with the neighing of the horses1 and the rattling of the chariots of war4 ,wars must be made to cease1 the bow must be broken1 and the spear cut in sunder--the chariots must be burned in the fire1 and the tranquillity of unruffled peace must reign over the whole scene1 ere he descends to unite the disjointed parts1 and animate the lifeless body4 ,it is to the influence of the ,holy ,spirit over the mind that we are to ascribe that portion of vital religion which we enjoy4 ,he still dwells amongst us1 yet not in the plenitude of his power4 ,occasionally he descends in the ministry of reconciliation1 and effects a moral transformation on the character of a large proportion of the people1 as in the islands of the ,pacific ,ocean2 but in general1 the exercise of his power is restricted to a small number in our congregations1 who are1 at distinct and distant intervals1 made alive from the dead4 ,but as this is emphatically termed the dispensation of the ,spirit1 and as the honour of glorifying ,christ1 in giving efficacy to the truth which he has revealed and attested1 is reserved for ,him1 to what secondary cause shall we attribute his very partial communications1 except to the offence which our discords and alienation of attachment have given him8 ,if ,he require peace and affection in an individual church1 as the precursors of his gracious visitations1 does ,he not require the same amongst the separate divisions of his universal church8 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,most unquestionably1 ,sir1 though the fact has not produced that deep impression on the popular mind which its importance demands4 ,but the day of peace1 ,i hope1 is dawning upon us1 and the union of ,christians of various denominations will1 ,i trust1 be drawn closer as time moves on in its course4 ,the voice of prayer is more frequently and more generally heard for the outpouring of ,divine influence on the external means of grace1 and already we see here and there some verdant spots of spiritual beauty and of life1 amidst the surrounding desolations of evil and of death2 thus exhibiting to us1 as in miniature1 the future state of the whole moral world1 'when judgment shall dwell in the wilderness1 and righteousness remain in the fruitful field2 and when the work of righteousness shall be peace1 and the effect of righteousness1 quietness and assurance for ever4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,the miraculous gifts with which the apostles were endowed1 while they had to contend 'against principalities1 against powers1 against the rulers of the darkness of this world1 against spiritual wickedness in the high places' of pagan idolatry1 and social profligacy1 have long since ceased1 with the exigency which called them forth2 but the renewing and sanctifying agency of the ,spirit remains1 and will continue to the end of time--the express declaration of our ,saviour not admitting of a doubt of its perpetuity3--',and ,i will pray the ,father1 and he shall give you another ,comforter1 that he may abide with you for ever4' ,and if1 as we have reason to believe1 his extraordinary outpouring on our churches will not take place till we are united in the bonds of peace1 it behoves each individual ,christian to cultivate the spirit of concord1 with the utmost degree of vigilance and caution4 ,to our prayers for his concurring testimony with the word of life1 we must add a watchfulness over our own tempers1 lest we should be involved in the charge of preventing the bestowal of the blessing which we solicit1 by grieving the ,agent on whose will it depends4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,your remarks1 ,sir1 are just1 and ,i wish they were deeply engraven on the heart of every ,christian1 by the ,spirit of the living ,god2 and then the ministration of righteousness1 intrusted to us1 would display a glory surpassing the brightest emanation of the ,divine presence which the annals of the church record4 ,then we should see the prejudices of the people1 which now obstruct the progress of pure evangelical religion1 giving way2 and the result would bear a spiritual resemblance to the blessed effects produced by the descent of the angel of ,bethesda4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,may we not suppose1 ,sir1 that the general impression which is produced amongst the pious of all denominations of the absolute necessity of the outpouring of the ,spirit on the labours of ministers at home1 and of missionaries in foreign parts1 viewed in connection with the growing liberality and esteem we cherish towards each other1 is one of the spiritual signs which indicate the bestowal of the blessing so earnestly implored8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i think we may4 ,it is the beginning of that great work which the ,divine ,spirit will complete when the fulness of the time comes1 and the effects of which being of a moral and spiritual nature1 will continue to bless the world after the subordinate agents of its production have entered into rest4 ',nevertheless1 we1 according to his promise1 look for new heavens and a new earth1 wherein dwelleth righteousness4' ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,and as this union and affection will form one of the most powerful evidences of the divinity of our ,lord's mission1 it will1 at the same time1 be a practical refutation of some of the charges which have been brought against ,christianity1 as though it had an anti-social and repulsive tendency2 and it will also exhibit the finest representation of the internal economy of the heavenly world which can be given4 ,there is diversity of rank but unity of thought2 and though the various orders of beings may occupy superior and subordinate stations under the government of the ,eternal ,king1 yet no one is envious of another's elevation1 or jealous of another's influence4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,there is one circumstance connected with our entrance into heaven1 which ,i think ought not to be overlooked4 ,it is this4 ,when we enter1 or when we are anticipating that great event1 we shall place no dependence on our distinctive peculiarities2 nor advert to them1 except to express our regret on account of the evil effects which they too often produce4 ,at that period in the history of our being1 the mind will be too deeply absorbed in the contemplation of its specific character and condition--will be too solemnly affected by the anticipation of its final destiny1 and will feel too deeply abased1 under a consciousness of its utter unworthiness of the ,divine favour1 to dwell even for a moment on any other subject than its redemption from all evil and from all misery by the death of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,in comparison with this1 every other subject that has engrossed our attention1 or interested our feelings1 will vanish away1 as a thing of nought2 and after having thus disengaged ourselves from all association with the minor questions1 which now agitate1 and divide1 and dishonour us1 we shall be free to enter the joy of our ,lord1 as sinners redeemed by his blood1 rather than as saints belonging to any one denomination of ,christians4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,i have just had1 ,sir1 a practical illustration of the truthfulness of your observations4 ,i was sent for early1 a few mornings ago1 to visit a pious member of my own church1 and in the evening of the same day1 at the request of a friend1 ,i went to see a member of a ,dissenting church1 a very godly man2 and1 to the rejoicing of my heart1 ,i found them breathing the same spirit--avowing the same belief--deriving consolation from the same source--and giving utterance to the joyful anticipations of mingling their grateful feelings together in the same heavenly temple1 where they hope to serve the ,lord day and night in harmony and peace4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,and1 as we shall mingle together in heaven1 ,i presume1 ,sir1 we shall know each other there4 ,some pious ,christians entertain doubts on this subject1 but as it is one which has such a tendency to reconcile our minds to the departure of our friends1 ,i cannot avoid cherishing it with fond attachment4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir1 some good people have their doubts on the subject2 but ,i wonder how they can entertain them4 ,even though on such a subject we receive no light from the testimony of ,scripture1 still it is so congenial with the dictates of enlightened reason1 and the warm attachments of pure friendship1 that ,i am at a loss to conceive how any one can disbelieve it4 ',deep1 deep the love we bear unto the dead6 ,th' adoring reverence that we humbly pay ,to one who is a spirit1 still partakes ,of that affectionate tenderness we own'd ,towards a being1 once1 perhaps1 as frail ,and human as ourselves4' ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,nothing1 in my opinion1 is more calculated to dispel the fear of death1 than a firm belief that we are going home to dwell in our ,father's house along with our departed brethren in ,christ1 whom we shall meet and recognize4 ,this thought1 which is so gratifying to our feelings1 is supported1 ,i think1 by the language of the ,new ,testament4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i think so too4 ,the apostle1 when writing to the ,colossians1 says1 ',that we may present every man perfect in ,christ ,jesus2' by which1 says ,dr4 ,paley1 ,i understand ,st4 ,paul to express his hope and prayer1 that at the general judgment of the world1 he might present the fruits of his ministry perfect in every good work2 and if this be rightly interpreted1 then it affords a manifest and necessary inference that the saints in a future life will meet and be known again to one another2 for how1 without knowing again his converts in their new and glorified state1 could ,st4 ,paul desire or expect to present them at the last day8 ,the celebrated ,baxter says1 and ,i think there is much force in the statement1 ',i must confess as the experience of my own soul1 that the expectation of loving my friends in heaven1 principally kindles my love to them on earth4 ,if ,i thought ,i should never know them1 and consequently never love them after this life is ended1 ,i should in reason number them with temporal things1 and love them as such2 but ,i now delightfully converse with my pious friends1 in a firm persuasion that ,i shall converse with them for ever2 and ,i take comfort in those of them that are dead1 or absent1 as believing ,i shall shortly meet them in heaven1 and love them with a heavenly love that shall there be perfected4' ,then1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 death will merely suspend our intercourse with our friends for a little while--it will not break it off for ever4 ,this is a thrilling subject of thought and meditation4 ,we part1 but shall meet again in a purer and happier world1 and in a more glorious form1 and then we part no more4 ,we may then hail ,death as a herald of mercy1 instead of shrinking from his approach as the ,king of ,terrors4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,then1 when mingling together1 if we ever advert to the scenes of our earthly existence1 as we probably shall often do1 we shall rejoice that our union is now complete1 unbroken by any discordant opinion2 and1 while exulting amidst the unfading glories of the celestial world1 we shall gratefully ascribe our salvation to the free and discriminating grace of ,god1 our ,father and ,redeemer4 ,,the ,,stage ,,coach4 ,the time had now come for my departure from ,fairmount1 which ,i quitted with much regret1 ,mr4 ,lewellin accompanying me as far as ,london1 where it was arranged that ,i should stay a few days with him previous to returning home4 ,our kind friends were very urgent in pressing us to remain a little longer2 but business required ,mr4 ,lewellin's immediate attention1 and ,i was getting anxious to resume my pastoral duties4 ,we left ,fairmount in the carriage early in the morning1 and reached the turnpike gate about a quarter of an hour before the mail came up4 ,there was one outside passenger1 and two inside4 ,having bidden adieu to ,mr4 ,stevens1 who had accompanied us thus far1 we stepped in1 heard the well-known signal from the guard1 ,all's right6 and felt ourselves moving towards the imperial city at a rapid pace4 ,though ,i have not1 like ,lavater1 studied physiognomy1 and have often experienced the fallacy of its conclusions1 yet on this occasion1 as on most others1 ,i began to examine and note carefully the features of the two strangers who sat opposite me4 ,the one was a ,friend1 who had long since passed the meridian of life4 ,he was dressed in the neat garb of his order1 had a fine ,roman nose1 keen blue eyes rather deeply set1 and a countenance whose expression of intelligence and benignity strongly prepossessed me in his favour4 ,but had his general appearance been less attractive1 ,i should have felt a profound respect1 as ,i once had a mother who spoke the plain language1 and taught me to speak it in my younger days2 and though in riper years1 ,i left the denomination of my youth1 yet ,i still revere that interesting ,society of professing ,christians4 ,the other was a lusty gentleman1 about the age of fifty1 but there was no feature in his face that gave me any pleasure4 ,we rode on in silence1 till we came to ,d----s1 where we changed horses2 and while we were waiting for the guard1 who was detained at the post office1 we amused ourselves in looking at a group of boys who were playing at trap-ball1 in the market-place4 ,the stout gentleman 7whom ,i shall call ,mr4 ,sykes7 said1 pointing to the boys1 ,there is perfect happiness4 ,as no one offered to make any reply to this remark1 ,mr4 ,lewellin observed1 ,perhaps1 ,sir1 their happiness is not perfect4 ,in the midst of their gambols1 and while feeling elated with the high honour of winning the game1 the sudden recollection of a lesson yet unlearned1 that must be said to-morrow1 may perchance give them a pang4 ,this natural remark1 expressed in the most good-natured manner1 gave offence to ,mr4 ,sykes1 who1 assuming that demeanour of defiance which appeared most natural to him1 said1 ,and pray1 ,sir1 do you not suppose that the happiness of childhood is the most perfect happiness which mortals ever enjoy6 ,it ought not to be1 ,sir1 replied my friend in a very modest tone4 ,ought not to be1 ,sir6 ,mr4 ,sykes returned1 with some degree of sarcastic warmth2 then1 ,sir1 how must you have spent those days of innocent mirth1 not to be able to look back on them with envy6 ,this sarcasm roused the spirit of my friend ,lewellin1 who1 though mild1 was not disposed to be run down by unprovoked insolence2 and he said1 in a tone somewhat elevated1 ,then ,i presume1 ,sir1 you look back to the days of your childhood1 and sigh over joys departed1 never to return2 but permit me to ask1 how have you spent the years of manhood1 not to have yet attained the possession of a much more rational and exalted happiness than you enjoyed when you were flying a kite or spinning a top8 ,if you think1 ,sir1 that ,i misimproved my boyish days1 by not acquiring that perfection of happiness which they generally bring1 you force me to conclude that you have misimproved the years of manhood1 if in the decline of life you are compelled to look back to your childish days1 as the happiest you have ever known4 ,mr4 ,sykes1 perceiving1 from the smartness of this reply1 that he stood no chance of carrying his point1 without assistance1 turned round1 and appealed to the ,friend1 who did not appear to have taken any interest in the question4 ,why1 truly1 said the ,friend1 ,i think with my neighbour opposite1 that if thou wert more happy when a boy1 than thou art now1 thou canst not have improved thy time as thou oughtest to have done4 ,well1 said ,mr4 ,sykes1 as this is the first company in which ,i have ever heard the sentiment called in question1 ,i suppose ,i am along with a class of human beings of a new order4 ,perhaps thou art1 rejoined the ,friend1 and at any rate thou must confess1 that this new order of human beings1 as thou art pleased to term us1 excel all thy former associates in one very important point4 ,in what point1 ,sir8 inquired ,mr4 ,sykes1 in his native tone4 ,why in this3 while thou and thy friends have outlived your happiest days1 we are now enjoying ours4 ,hence1 while it is to our advantage to live in a state of manhood1 it would have been to yours1 to have continued in a state of childhood4 ,this remark re-established the reign of silence1 which continued undisturbed1 till some children ran out from a few miserable-looking huts1 which stood near the roadside1 and followed the coach for a considerable distance1 attempting to excite our generosity1 by their piteous moans1 and antic gestures4 ,there1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,sykes1 ,if you look out1 you will see the picture of perfect happiness4 ,our sagacious ,friend1 who appeared to have high purposes revolving in his breast when not engaged in conversation1 was rather startled by this observation1 as he had not seen the group of juvenile beggars1 by which we were annoyed2 but on looking out1 as requested1 he shrewdly replied1 ,i was not aware that perfect happiness was reduced so low in life1 as to become a common beggar4 ,poverty1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,sykes1 is no disgrace1 and poor people are happy as well as rich4 ,very true1 replied the ,friend2 but it is a disgrace to any parents1 to train up their children to the practice of begging4 ,these children certainly look healthy and sprightly1 but if thou wert to be present when they return from an unsuccessful race1 thou wouldest see a picture of perfect sorrow4 ,well1 said ,mr4 ,sykes1 they shall have one happy day1 and immediately tossed out a few halfpence4 ,now1 said the ,friend1 if thou wilt look back1 probably thou wilt see a violent contention between them2 some crying because unable to get the prize1 and some fighting over the division of the spoil4 ,i suppose1 ,sir1 ,mr4 ,sykes remarked sarcastically1 no one ever fought over any of your scattered gifts4 ,i never saw any1 the ,friend replied1 as ,i am not in the habit of scattering my gifts with an indiscriminate hand2 nor do ,i approve of those acts1 misnamed charitable1 which have an evil tendency4 ,but1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,sykes1 what evil can result from giving a few pence to some poor miserable-looking boys and girls8 ,why1 replied the ,friend1 thou hast seen one evil in the contention which immediately followed1 but this is not the greatest2 these children who are initiated into the begging system at such an early period of life1 are taught the art of deception2 they are thrown off from the resources of industry and frugality1 on the precarious supplies of charity2 and if from the influence of vagrancy1 they are not led to thieving1 they will never feel any reluctance to receive support from the parish rate4 ,charity is a virtue which we all admire1 and which we ought to cultivate2 but ,i have long thought1 that where its bounties are not administered with discretion1 society sustains more injury1 than it derives advantage4 ,discretion6 ,o yes1 discretion6 said ,mr4 ,sykes1 is a great virtue2 with ,sir ,john ,falstaff it is the better part of valour1 with you of charity2 but in my opinion it is more frequently an apology for cowardice1 or for covetousness4 ,illustration3 ,,james ,,godwin4 ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,,mistaken ,,charity4--,,mr4 ,,sykes' ,,theory ,,refuted4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #ee4 ,we soon after parted with ,mr4 ,sykes1 when our sage ,friend addressing himself to ,mr4 ,lewellin1 said1 ,i have no doubt but the passenger who has just left us has some excellencies1 but he does not excel in the art of rendering himself agreeable1 an art which few learn1 and fewer practise2 but it is one of great importance to personal dignity and relative comfort4 ,his place in the coach was soon occupied by a young man in a red coat1 who was going to a fox-hunt near ,m----4 ,he was very loquacious1 but his conversation turned principally on horses1 and dogs1 and game1 and the various qualifications of a good shot4 ,mr4 ,lewellin made several efforts to introduce other topics1 but he could not succeed1 as no pointer ever stood truer to his bird1 than he did to his favourite theme4 ,he told us of his hair-breadth escapes1 of the fatigues which he had endured1 and the feats which he had achieved1 with as much glee as the huntsman throws off at a chase2 and dwelt with peculiar delight on his good fortune the preceding day1 when out of twenty-five who started1 he was the only one in at the death1 and exhibited the brush as the proud memorial of his honour4 ,after he had told and re-told his tales1 which gave no one pleasure but himself1 he fell into a dead silence1 hummed ,old ,towler1 and commenced beating a sort of tattoo with his fingers on the coach window4 ,at length1 turning himself to the ,friend who sat by his side1 and whose patriarchal simplicity appeared to amuse him1 he said1 with an air of low satire1 ,i believe1 ,sir1 your sect are not much given to such sports8 ,why1 no1 replied the ,friend1 we have too much humanity1 to attempt to extract pleasure from the sports which inflict torture on dumb animals4 ,i have read1 said the sportsman1 all your objections2 but1 ,sir1 they have no point--they don't hit the mark--nature points to game1 and we are to follow4 ,i love the sound of the horn1 more than the silence of meditation4 ,i have no doubt1 said the ,friend1 that thou dost1 but thou shouldst remember1 that some prefer silence1 to noise4 ,i take you1 ,sir2 you intend to say1 that you would rather have silence1 than my conversation4 ,i have no objection1 the ,friend replied1 to conversation1 when it is interesting or profitable1 but thou must be aware1 that the present company take no interest in the detail of thy field achievements4 ,well1 ,sir1 said the sportsman1 ,i have no objection to turn the conversation to a graver subject2 and as ,i am a young man1 just beginning to turn my attention to religion1 you will permit me to ask you one question1 which puzzles me4 ,it is this1 ,sir3 ,as we have so many religions in this kingdom1 which is the best8 ,why1 said the ,friend1 that which makes the simple wise1 and teaches young men to cultivate the grace of modesty4 ,very smart1 ,sir3 then you think such a religion would do me good8 ,i think it would4 ,when the sportsman left us1 his place was immediately occupied by a gentleman who1 as ,i afterwards learned1 had lately returned to ,england1 after an absence of many years4 ,he was an interesting and intelligent looking man2 and ,i flattered myself from his general appearance1 that we should have agreeable society during the rest of our journey4 ,nor was ,i disappointed4 ,he was rather reserved at first1 but after ,mr4 ,lewellin and ,i had engaged for some time in a desultory conversation1 he fell in with us1 and willingly contributed his share4 ,there is a strong propensity in some minds to sacrifice truth1 in narration and description1 especially when relating their own adventures4 ,they will not utter direct and palpable falsehood1 but they are so accustomed to exaggeration and high colouring1 that a man who respects his own reputation will never venture to repeat their statements4 ,their design is to produce effect1 and hence they often leave the beaten path of sober truth to amuse or astonish their hearers with the fanciful or the extravagant4 ,but nothing of this kind was visible in our companion2 as he gave us no description of persons1 of places1 or of things1 which staggered our belief4 ,he had sailed on the boisterous sea1 without having just escaped the horrors of shipwreck2 he had passed through woods and mountains1 without encountering brigands or assassins2 he had resided in crowded cities1 and had traversed lonely wastes1 where he met with no flattering attentions from the great1 or rude insults from the vulgar4 ,he had travelled through the greater part of ,europe1 had visited the ,east and ,west ,indies1 and had spent the last two years in ,america3 but intended now to fix his abode in his native country1 where he said he hoped to rest in the same grave with his fathers4 ,you have seen1 ,sir1 ,i remarked1 a great part of the world2 but as you intend to fix your final residence in ,old ,england1 ,i take for granted that you have not discovered any country which rivals her in your estimation4 ,no1 ,sir1 he replied1 ,i have not4 ,i love ,england--,i love her changing seasons1 and her fruitful soil--her fine national character--her political constitution1 and that spirit of liberty1 both civil and religious1 which she cherishes and which she diffuses--,i love everything that is ,english2 and ,i disown the ,briton who is not enthusiastic in the praise of his country4 ,the love of liberty1 ,i remarked1 is a passion which gives a peculiar and powerful energy to our national character2 but you must confess1 ,sir1 that this passion is not exclusively ours4 ,america cherishes it with an equal degree of ardour4 ,yes1 ,sir1 he replied1 she does1 but her love of liberty is a selfish passion4 ,she has fought for her own freedom1 and she has won the laurels1 but she continues to enslave others4 ,when the foot of a poor captive touches the soil of ,britain1 his chains burst from around him2 his life is taken under the protection of the law2 no one can insult him with impunity2 he is as safe in his hut1 as the lordly baron is within the walls of his castle4 ,but in the ,united ,states of ,america1 there are upwards of three millions of human beings1 now living in a state of slavery1 bought and sold like cattle--subjected to the cruelty of men1 in whose bosoms every atom of humanity has long since been annihilated4 ,what1 ,sir1 is freedom1 where all are not free--where the greatest of ,god's blessings is limited with impious caprice to the colour of the skin8 ,having bled at every pore1 rather than submit to wear the yoke of a foreign authority1 why does she not1 amid all her prosperity and improvement1 act a just and generous part towards her black population8 ,she is worse than the chief butler of ,pharaoh1 who1 when he had gained his freedom1 merely forgot his fellow-prisoner3 but she remembers those who were once in bondage with her1 and rivets the chains of slavery still closer upon them4 ,she may vaunt herself on the love of liberty1 and on her rising greatness in the scale of nations2 but as long as the groans of three millions of human beings resound through her land without obtaining redress1 she will have a badge of infamy affixed to her national character1 from which no virtues will ever redeem her4 ,we did a noble deed when we abolished the slave-trade1 but we did a still nobler deed when we abolished slavery4 ,we have thus set ,america a good example1 which1 in spite of all opposition1 she will some day follow4 ,we were very much pleased with the polite manners and the interesting conversation of this gentleman1 who formed a striking contrast to our other coach companions4 ,on taking leave of him at the ,swan with two ,necks1 we exchanged cards1 when we found that the stranger's name was ,wilcox1 and he exacted a promise from me that ,i would call and see him before ,i left ,london4 ,a few days after this1 as ,i sat in ,mr4 ,lewellin's front parlour listening to the strange cries of ,london1 and observing the countenances of the numerous pedestrians1 who1 with hurried steps1 passed to and fro1 as though each was intent on some great purpose1 ,i saw the postman at the door1 who brought me a letter1 which on opening ,i found to be from our interesting fellow-traveller1 requesting that we would dine with him on the following day4 ,we accepted the invitation1 and spent a very pleasant evening together4 ,on this occasion ,mr4 ,wilcox informed us that he had been pressed to sign a petition for the repeal of the ,maynooth grant2 but had declined doing so1 because he knew nothing about its origin1 or the reasons which induced the government to make it2 adding that1 as a general rule1 he thought ,america acted more wisely than we do on all such questions2 she repudiates a state religion1 and therefore leaves every religious sect to act and provide for itself4 ,i then gave him a brief history of the matter as follows3--,on the #adth of ,january1 #agid1 the ,roman ,catholics of ,ireland presented a memorial to the government1 praying for permission to erect a college for the education of their priests1 who1 up to this time1 had been compelled to get their education in foreign countries2 stating in their memorial1 that they were both able and willing to build the college1 and defray its current expenditure at their own expense4 ,their prayer was granted3 and to their astonishment the ,irish ,parliament voted a grant of #hjjj per annum towards its support1 which in the year #ahjg was increased to #ac1jjj4 ,no pledge was given that it should be a permanent grant1 and as a proof of this1 in the year #agii it was withheld altogether1 and during that year they were compelled to do what they said1 when they declared that they were able and willing to defray its expenses by their own voluntary contributions4#i #i ,in #ahde ,sir ,robert ,peel introduced a measure1 and carried it1 to increase this grant to nearly #cj1jjj a-year4 ,it seems somewhat strange1 said ,mr4 ,wilcox1 that the government should vote a large sum of money1 when they are told that it is neither expected nor needed4 ,to account for such an act of profligate expenditure1 we must suppose there was a strong undercurrent of political influence forcing them to do so4 ,why1 ,sir1 the fact is1 that ,ireland was at this time1 and for a long time after1 in a strongly excited state2 one outburst of popular tumult succeeded another1 with so much rapidity and violence1 that our leading statesmen1 both ,whigs and ,tories1 became alarmed1 and they hit upon the expedient of attempting to conciliate the priests1 by proposing to take their church into union with the state1 and thus render them independent of the voluntary contributions of their people2 and this munificent generosity in behalf of the ,maynooth ,college1 was the gilded bait of allurement4 ,however1 that projected union is now abandoned as a ,utopian vagary2 for the ,roman ,catholics disdain to come into ecclesiastical fellowship with ,protestants1 and therefore common sense requires1 that as they are resolved to stand by themselves1 they should be left to do what they said they were able and willing to do--educate and support their clergy by their own contributions4 ,i think the principle is bad1 said ,mr4 ,wilcox1 both politically and morally1 which compels one sect to educate and support the clergy of another sect4 ,there is an outrage committed on the conscience of an enlightened ,protestant1 if he be compelled to contribute to the education and support of the ,roman ,catholic clergy1 not simply because they are the ministers of another church1 but because they are ministers who1 in his estimation1 reject the essential doctrines of ,christianity1 and substitute in their place1 dangerous and fatal heresies2 and not only so1 but he believes1 and their past history confirms him in the belief1 that they constitute the vital1 the most active1 and the most unscrupulous part of an organized conspiracy1 whose object is to extinguish both civil and religious liberty throughout the world4 ,toleration1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 is all that such a dangerous set of men ought to receive under a ,protestant government1 and to that ,i should not object2 but it is an act of legalized injustice to compel me to pay for the training and comfortable support of ,roman ,catholic priests4 ,mr4 ,wilcox remarked1 ,we don't punish the footpad till he has committed his crime2 but we should deem the wealthy traveller a maniac at large1 who would voluntarily contribute towards the training of such desperadoes4 ,i will certainly1 now that ,i understand the matter1 sign for the repeal of the grant1 and do all in my power to hasten it4 ,indeed1 ,i would not give my vote to any parliamentary candidate1 unless he pledged himself against the continuance of this very obnoxious grant4 ,my attachment to ,christianity1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 makes me revolt against this offensive grant1 as my loyalty to our queen would make me abhor a proposition to contribute to the training of traitors1 to subvert her throne and bring her to the block4#aj #aj ,when ,lord ,john ,russell was speaking in favour of the measure brought before the house by ,sir ,robert ,peel in #ahde1 to increase the grant to nearly #cj1jjj per annum1 he said--,but if you found you were doing that which was mischievous to the community1 and that the religious scruples of the community would not allow of the continuance of the grant1 or1 with reference to civil and political reasons1 you found that those you meant to be teachers of religion had become the teachers and conductors of rebellion2 if ,i say1 his lordship added1 you found from any of these causes that there was ground sufficient to refuse this grant1 then ,i can see no valid reasons why any compact should restrain you1 or why1 upon strong grounds of this kind1 the house would not be justified in declaring that it would give no further allowance4 7,see ,hansard's ,debates1 v4 #c1 p4 #ib1 session #ahde47 ,the ,right ,hon4 ,william ,gladstone1 ,m4,p41 recorded his opinion of this grant1 before ,sir ,robert ,peel brought forward his measure in #ahde4 ,in principle the grant is wholly vicious1 and it will be a thorn in the side of these countries as long as it is continued4 ,there are several reasons1 which1 in the judgment of ,lord ,john ,russell1 would justify the discontinuance of this grant1 without subjecting our government to the charge of violating any existing compact2 but ,i merely mention the following1 which ,i give from the speech of his lordship3 if the religious scruples of the community would not allow of the continuance of it4 ,now let us see how the case actually stands1 and then we shall be able to form a correct judgment of what the ,british government and we ourselves ought to do4 ,it is an undisputed fact1 that the measure of #ahde was forced through parliament in direct opposition to the most unequivocal expression of hostility on the part of the religious community1 of all denominations2 and their hostility to its continuance is increasing in inveteracy and strength as time moves on in its course4 ,i am at a loss to conceive how any one except a ,roman ,catholic who has a beneficial interest in this money grant1 or a lukewarm ,protestant1 who cares no more for the spiritual religion of the ,new ,testament than he does for the legendary tales of ,popery1 can come forward as its advocate and supporter4 ,the ,catholics say they are able and willing to support their own religion and its institutions4 ,let them do so2 but do not compel us to work with them1 when we believe that their religion1 with its institutions1 is the greatest curse that ever has been inflicted on man since the ,fall2 and when we believe that its clergy1 if they had the power1 would immediately establish the ,inquisition amongst us1 and at once consign us to torture and to death1 if we refused to bow down and to do homage to their pontiff and his myrmidons4 ,a ,,sabbath ,,in ,,london4 ,in the institution of the ,christian ministry1 we have one of the most salutary provisions ever made to promote the improvement and happiness of man4 ,if we suppose1 with the enemies of ,christianity1 that it is of human origin1 and that its functions are discharged by human agents1 who are actuated and governed by selfish or ambitious motives1 still it will occupy1 in the estimation of every wise man1 a high station1 as a powerful ally to the cause of patriotism and of virtue4 ,it enjoins on the various ranks and orders of society submission to the powers that be1 and reverence for ,god2 and it explains and enforces1 with the utmost precision1 our relative duties towards each other2 while the veneration in which it is generally held in this kingdom is favourable to its influence4 ,to say that every one is strictly virtuous who listens to its maxims of wisdom1 would be to advance an assertion which facts would contradict2 but if we judge from the present state of society1 we shall be compelled to admit that there is a larger portion of virtue amongst those who attend upon a stated ministry1 than among those who treat it with neglect and scorn4 ,hence its abolition would be a national evil1 as disastrous to our moral improvement and happiness1 as the triumphs of political anarchy would be to the well-balanced constitution of the ,british ,empire4 ,but even this institution1 with all its advantages1 would prove comparatively useless were it not for the appointment of the ,christian ,sabbath2 for such is the ascendency which the cares1 the pleasures1 the fascinations1 and the commerce of the world have acquired over the public mind1 that very few would have an opportunity to benefit by it1 unless some specific portion of time was set apart for this express purpose4 ,if the husbandman were compelled to toil in the field1 and the mechanic to labour in the shop--if the tradesman1 the merchant1 and the other members of the community had to devote themselves to their respective avocations without any intermission1 except what caprice or indolence might dictate1 the minister of the gospel might faithfully proclaim all the words which relate to the life to come1 but he would not be surrounded by a large and an attentive audience4 ,the temple would be forsaken1 and the powers of this world would so engross the attention of men1 that those of the next would be generally1 if not universally disregarded4 ,to prevent this fatal evil1 one day in seven is set apart1 by the immediate authority of ,god1 which we are commanded to devote to the exercises of private and public worship2 but alas6 how many treat this sacred injunction with contempt4 ,some in the higher ranks of life1 who disdain to be thought religious1 employ it as a day for travelling or for feasting2 and multitudes of the lower orders1 regard it as a day either for pleasure or for dissipation4 ,on the ,sabbath after my arrival in ,london1 as ,i was walking down ,bridge ,street on my way to ,surrey ,chapel1 ,i saw a party of young people whose gaiety of manner ill accorded with the sanctity of the day1 and just as ,i was passing them ,i heard one say1 ,indeed ,i think we shall do wrong2 my conscience condemns me2 ,i must return4 ,there can be no harm1 replied another1 in taking an excursion on the water1 especially as we intend to go to chapel in the evening4 ,i must return1 rejoined a female voice2 my conscience condemns me4 ,what will father say if he hears of it8 ,by this time they had reached the bridge1 and the foremost of the party was busily engaged with a waterman1 while the rest stood in close debate for some minutes1 when they all moved forward towards the water4 ,i watched the party as they went down the stairs to the river4 ,two of the gentlemen stepped into the boat1 two more stood at the water's edge1 and the females were handed in one after another2 but ,i could perceive great reluctance on the part of the one who had previously objected1 till at length she yielded to the importunities of her companions1 and the boat was pushed off4 ,it was a fine morning1 though rather cold4 ,many1 like myself1 were gazing on them1 when a naval officer called to them through the balustrades and said1 ,a pleasant voyage to you4 ,one of the gentlemen arose to return the compliment1 but1 from some cause which ,i could not perceive1 he missed his footing and fell into the water4 ,this disaster threw the whole party into the utmost consternation2 and each one1 instead of retaining his seat1 rushed to the side of the boat over which their companion had fallen1 by which the boat was upset1 and all were instantaneously plunged into the river4 ,the scene which followed1 when the spectators beheld this calamity1 exceeded any ,i had ever witnessed4 ,some females screamed1 the passers-by crowded together to the parapet of the bridge1 and everything was bustle and excitement2 boats immediately put off2 and in a few minutes ,i had the satisfaction of seeing the watermen rescue one1 and another1 and another from a premature grave4 ,having picked up every one they could find1 the different boats were rowed to shore1 where some medical gentlemen were in waiting4 ,but when the party met together1 no language can describe the horror depicted on every countenance when they found that two were still missing4 ,where's my sister8 said the voice which had said1 only a few minutes before1 ,there can be no harm in taking an excursion on the water1 especially as we intend to go to chapel in the evening4 ,where's ,charles8 said a female1 who had appeared the most gay and sprightly when ,i first saw them4 ,at length two boats1 which had gone a considerable distance up the river1 were seen returning2 and on being asked if they had picked up any one1 they replied1 ,yes2 two4 ,this reply electrified the whole party1 and some wept for joy4 ,illustration3 ,,sabbath ,,pleasure ,,seekers4 ,vol4 ii4 page #fd4 ,here's a gentleman1 said a waterman as he was coming up to the foot of the stairs1 but ,i suspect he's dead4 ,where's the lady8 said her brother1 ,is she safe8 ,she is in the other boat1 ,sir4 ,is she alive8--,has she spoken8 ,no1 ,sir1 she has not spoken1 ,i believe4 ,is she dead2 ,o tell me6 ,i fear she is1 ,sir4 ,the bodies were immediately removed from the boats to a house in the vicinity1 and every effort was employed to restore animation4 ,in little more than ten minutes it was announced that the gentleman began to breathe1 but there was no allusion made to the lady4 ,her brother sat motionless1 absorbed in the deepest melancholy1 till the actual decease of his sister was announced1 when he started up and became almost frantic with grief2 and though his companions tried to comfort him1 yet he refused to hear the words of consolation4 ,o my sister6 my sister6 ,would to ,god ,i had died for her6 ,they were all overwhelmed in trouble1 and knew not what to do4 ,who will bear the heavy tidings to our father8 said the brother1 who paced the room backwards and forwards4 ,o6 who will bear the heavy tidings to our father8 ,he paused2 a death-like silence pervaded the whole apartment4 ,he again burst forth in the agonies of despair--,i forced her to go against the dictates of her conscience2 ,i am her murderer2 ,i ought to have perished1 and not my sister4 ,who will bear the heavy tidings to our father8 ,i will1 said a gentleman1 who had been unremitting in his attentions to the sufferers4 ,do you know him1 ,sir8 ,yes1 ,i know him4 ,o6 how can ,i ever appear in his presence6 ,i enticed my only sister to an act of disobedience1 which has destroyed her6 ,how the father received the intelligence1 or what moral effect resulted from the disaster1 ,i never heard1 but it suggests a few reflections which ,i wish to press upon the attention of my readers4 ,as the ,sabbath is instituted for the purpose of promoting your moral improvement and happiness1 never devote its sacred hours to pleasure and recreations4 ,he who has commanded you to keep it holy1 will not suffer you to profane it with impunity4 ,he may not bring down upon you the awful expressions of his displeasure while you are in the act of setting his authority at open defiance1 but there is a day approaching when you must stand before him as your judge4 ,and can you anticipate the solemnities of that day1 while continuing in a course of sin1 with any other than the most fearful apprehensions8 ,you may1 like many1 suppose that that day is very far off2 but you may be undeceived by a sudden visitation of ,providence2 and in a moment may be removed from amongst your gay companions1 to appear in his presence4 ,and should this be the case1 with what terror-struck amazement will you look on the awful scene around you2 with what fearful and agonizing emotions will you listen to the final sentence--,depart6 ,resist the first temptation to evil1 or your ruin may be the inevitable consequence4 ,indeed ,i think we shall do wrong2 my conscience condemns me2 ,i must return1 said the unfortunate girl1 when she got near the river2 but having yielded to the first temptation1 she was induced to overcome her scruples1 and within less than half an hour from that time she was hurried into the eternal world4 ,had she refused when her brother solicited her to leave home1 she might have lived to comfort her father in his old age2 but by complying1 she first lost her strength to withstand temptation1 and then her life4 ,what a warning6 ,and is this the only one which the history of crime has given you8 ,alas1 no6 ,have not many1 who have ended their days on the scaffold1 traced their ruin to the profanation of the ,sabbath8 ,this is the day in which the spirits of evil are abroad1 enticing the young and the thoughtless to vice and impiety2 and if you wish to avoid the misery and degradation in which others have been involved1 devote its sacred hours to the purpose for which they were appointed4 ,attend some place of worship1 where the truths of the ,bible are preached with earnestness and power1 and attend regularly2 and though some of your associates may ridicule you for your habits of devotion1 yet will you suffer yourself to be conquered by such weapons8 ,the youth who regularly attends a place of worship on the ,sabbath1 and receives the truth under a deep conviction of its excellence and importance1 often enjoys a high mental feast1 and becomes imperceptibly fortified to resist the fascinations of the world2 but he who spends the sacred hours in the society of the thoughtless1 amidst scenes of gaiety and dissipation1 becomes an easy prey to the worst of temptations1 often retires to rest reproaching himself for his folly and impiety1 and is gradually led from one crime to another till iniquity proves his ruin4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as ,i wished to hear a celebrated preacher in the evening1 ,i asked ,mr4 ,lewellin to accompany me1 but he declined1 for reasons which raised him in my estimation as a young man of prudence and consistency4 ,i am1 ,sir1 he observed1 decidedly of opinion that ,london offers many temptations to professors of religion which require1 on their part1 constant vigilance to withstand2 and one of the most specious is1 the celebrity of popular preachers4 ,but1 ,i replied1 do you think it wrong to go and hear these ministers8 ,i would be cautious how ,i censured any one2 but ,i certainly think that the love of novelty in religion often proves pernicious1 not only to those who are enslaved by it1 but to their families4 ,let me suppose a case4 ,here is a religious family who professedly attend the ministry of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,watkins1 but the father is in the habit of hearing every celebrated preacher4 ,will not this roving disposition prevent his forming that attachment towards a pastor and his flock in which the essence of ,christian fellowship consists8 ,and will not the influence of his example have an injurious effect on his children8 ,if he take them with him1 he imperceptibly teaches them to believe that he is not so much delighted with the truth as with the agent who conveys it4 ,and what is this but sinking the importance and value of the truth in the estimation of those whose hearts are naturally averse to it4 ,if he refuse to take them with him1 and compel them to go1 while they are young1 to their regular place of worship1 yet1 as he does not go with them1 they are left without the controlling influence of his presence1 and are exposed to the temptation of absenting themselves for some scene of amusement4 ,if he leave his more stated minister to go after these popular preachers1 unless he has a greater measure of prudence than such roving professors generally possess1 he will institute comparisons in the presence of his children between them and the settled pastor4 ,and will not this excite prejudice in their minds against the clergyman whose ministry they are forced to attend8 ,will not this prove injurious to them8 ,will not this tend to alienate their minds from the love of the truth1 and to make them regard its accidental associations as the main thing2 and by teaching them disrespect for their stated minister1 they may1 in time1 turn away contemptuously from the message he delivers4 ,and these are not the only evils which result from the indulgence of this roving disposition2 it is invariably found no less injurious to the private reputation of a ,christian1 than to his domestic piety4 ,but how so8 ,i replied4 ,what injury can it do the private reputation of a ,christian8 ,why1 he will be regarded as an unstable man2 and though he may have many virtues1 yet if this imperfection be associated with them it will materially injure him4 ,for what influence can an unstable man ever acquire1 unless it be the power of doing evil8 ,who can respect him8 ,who can place any dependence on him8 ,but1 ,i asked1 may not a ,christian leave the ministry of one preacher1 to attend that of another1 without sustaining or producing any moral injury8 ,most certainly1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin2 we are at perfect liberty to go where we please1 and to hear whom we please2 but we should avoid that fickleness of disposition1 which is ever moving from one place to another4 ,some admire the last preacher they have heard more than any preceding one1 and have the censer always ready to throw the incense of flattery around the next who may make his appearance4 ,instead of examining themselves1 to see what progress they make in knowledge and in grace1 and attending to the religious instruction of their children and their servants on the ,sabbath1 they are ever asking1 ,who is in town8 or1 ,who is expected8 ,but though ,i condemn most decidedly such a volatile spirit amongst professors1 yet ,i think we ought to attend that ministry which we find the most profitable4 ,the truth which we hear is ,divine1 but the agent who preaches it is human2 and though the tone and the manner of proclaiming it will not add to its importance1 yet it may tend to give it a more commanding power of impression2 and hence1 it is both our duty and our privilege to attend the ministry of that man1 whose style of preaching is the most calculated to profit us4 ,the poet in speaking of government1 has said1 ',whate'er is best administered is best4' ,the same may be nearly said with regard to sermons4 ,there is not such a great difference between the thoughts and arrangements of one preacher and another as some imagine4 ,but who has not been struck with the difference of the impression and effect8 ,one man shall speak1 and how dry1 and sapless1 and uninteresting is he6 ,let another deliver the very same things1 and there is a savour that gives them freshness--the things seem perfectly new4 ,one preacher1 by his monotonous tones and manner1 soon lulls us to sleep2 while another1 by his earnestness1 his pathos1 and his impassioned appeals--by the aptness of his illustrations1 the chasteness of his style1 and the unction of his spirit--not only fixes our attention1 but penetrates the inner man of the heart2 we feel ourselves subdued1 enlightened1 and powerfully excited by the ,word of ,god4 ,when a man of this attractive order appears in the pulpit1 by the mysterious action of the sympathetic faculty1 his presence is felt by the people1 even before his voice is heard2 and in the lines of ,cowper we see a great moral fact1 clothed in the vestments of poetic beauty3-- ',when one that holds communion with the skies ,has filled his urn where these pure waters rise1 ,and once more mingles with us meaner things1 ',tis e'en as if an angel shook his wings-- ,immortal fragrance fills the circuit wide1 ,that tells us whence his treasures are supplied4 ,so when a ship well freighted with the stores ,the sun matures on ,india's spicy shores1 ,has dropp'd her anchor and her canvas furl'd ,in some safe haven of our western world1 ',twere vain inquiring to what port she went-- ,the gale informs us1 laden with the scent4' ,but1 ,sir1 ,i remarked1 if we do not derive improvement and consolation from the ministry on which we generally attend1 we ought to attribute it to some fault in ourselves4 ,i remember being very much struck with a remark which ,i heard a venerable clergyman make when addressing his congregation--',if1 my brethren1' he said1 'you come to hear me preach1 instead of hearing the truth which ,i deliver1 be not surprised if you are permitted to go away without having felt its purifying and consoling influence4 ,i can do no more than give utterance to the sublime doctrines and promises of the gospel2 it is the province of my ,master to make them effectual to your salvation2 and if you neglect by strong and ardent prayer to implore his blessing1 he will withhold it4' ,a very just and important remark1 replied ,mr4 ,lewellin1 and one which ,i hope we shall never forget4 ,we ought at all times to go into the temple in a devotional spirit1 and to remember that as every good gift1 and every perfect gift1 is from above1 and cometh down from the ,father of lights1 with whom is no variableness1 neither shadow of turning1 we should1 in the most humble manner1 invoke his presence2 and then we shall feel less disposed to rove and less occasion to complain of the want of spiritual enjoyment4 ,we were now interrupted in our conversation1 by the servant1 who informed ,mr4 ,lewellin that there were two gentlemen below who wished to see him4 ,desire them to walk up4 ,i am not aware1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 who they are2 and ,i regret their call1 as ,i am not in the habit of receiving company on the ,sabbath4 ,they entered the room1 and after offering an apology for this act of intrusion1 one said1 ,i know1 ,sir1 you will excuse it1 as ,i have made up my mind to go with you to chapel this evening1 along with our friend ,mr4 ,newton4 ,i did not immediately recollect this gentleman1 though his manners and voice seemed familiar to me2 but on hearing his name1 ,i instantaneously recognized ,mr4 ,gordon1 whom ,i once met in the country#aa when enjoying an evening's ramble4 ,i am happy to see you1 ,sir 7addressing him71 as it gives me an opportunity of reminding you of a promise which you have not yet redeemed4 #aa ,see vol4 i4 page #id4 ,indeed1 ,sir6 ,you have the advantage of me4 ,did ,i ever make you a promise1 which ,i have not redeemed8 ,yes1 ,sir1 indeed you have done so4 ,where1 and when1 ,sir1 may ,i ask8 ,were you never in a thunder-storm8 ,i beg your pardon4 ,i hope you are well4 ,i am happy to see you in ,london4 ,i hope you will do me the honour of a call4--,why1 no4 ,i have not been able to inform you of the result of my inquiry2 for1 to be very candid1 ,i have been too much engaged to turn my attention to it2 but ,i have not forgotten it4--,what a storm6 ,how did you escape it8 ,i took shelter in a cow-shed4 ,i ran to a cottage1 where ,i was kindly received1 and in which ,i witnessed a deeply interesting sight4 ,i regretted you were not with me1 as ,i there saw an evidence in favour of the truth and the excellence of the gospel1 which ,i think you would have admired4 ,indeed6 what visible evidence do you refer to8 ,a miracle8 ,if we define a miracle to be something above the production of human power1 ,i should not hesitate to call what ,i saw a moral miracle4 ,i then gave an account of the decease of the woodman's child1 which he called a very interesting tale2 but said he was not sufficiently enlightened to perceive how such a fact tended in any way to establish the truth or display the excellence of ,christianity4 ,we may1 he remarked1 have an opportunity to debate over it before you leave our great city2 but1 as we propose going to chapel this evening1 perhaps we had better not begin1 lest we should be obliged to break off the thread of our argument at an unfavourable point4 ,but1 though ,i have not investigated the important question which we discussed when we accidentally met1 yet ,i will do it4 ,you see the company which ,i keep 7pointing to ,mr4 ,lewellin and ,mr4 ,newton7 is a proof that ,i am religiously inclined2 and1 if a few doubts should still darken my powers of mental vision1 yet the light which emanates from their chaste reasoning may ultimately disperse them1 and we all may become believers together4 ,a consummation ,i should hail with delight4 ,i believe you1 ,sir2 and ,i honour the motive which prompts such a devout exclamation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on passing along ,cheapside on our way to the chapel which ,mr4 ,lewellin usually attended1 we were astonished at seeing a placard1 announcing that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion was to preach that evening at ,bow ,church1 in behalf of the ,church ,missionary ,society2 and at my earnest entreaty1 we decided on hearing him4 ,by a statement he made at the commencement of his discourse1 we found his appearance in the pulpit was in consequence of the sudden illness of a brother clergyman who stood engaged to preach on the occasion2 and this accounted for our not hearing of this ,london visit when we were with him at ,fairmount4 ,having my note-book in my pocket1 and my pencils in good working order1 ,i took down his sermon1 and will transcribe from my manuscript a few passages1 which1 when delivered1 made a deep impression on the whole congregation4 ,his text was taken from #a ,tim4 iii4 #af1 ,and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness3 ,god was manifest in the flesh1 justified in the ,spirit1 seen of angels1 preached unto the ,gentiles1 believed on in the world1 received up into glory4 ,his arguments in confirmation of the divinity of ,jesus ,christ were few1 but popular and conclusive1 yet not common-place4 ,,he ,,was ,,seen ,,of ,,angels4--,our knowledge1 said the eloquent preacher1 of angels is very superficial2 yet we know1 they are beings of a superior order--holy1 intelligent1 powerful1 and benevolent4 ,jesus ,christ was seen of them1 at his birth1 during his temptation in the wilderness1 when enduring the agonizing conflict in the garden of ,gethsemane1 and on the morning of his resurrection2 and they came to witness1 and to take a ministering part in his ascension1 when he went to resume the glory which he had with the ,father before the world was4 ,this ,,seeing him1 denotes the intense interest they felt in his personal honour1 and in the design of his mission to earth4 ',which things1' says the apostle ,peter--that is the sufferings of ,christ and the glory that should follow--'the angels desire to look into4' ,they pry into and labour to comprehend the grand theory of human redemption2 and watch with intense solicitude its practical working in the soul of man4 ,hence1 our ,lord says1 ',there is joy in the presence of the angels of ,god over one sinner that repenteth4' ,yes1 brethren1 these pure and exalted spirits become comparatively insensible to the glories of the celestial world1 when in the act of seeing a sinner who is ready to perish1 rescued from the fearful peril of his condition1 as we should become comparatively1 if not absolutely insensible to the grandest and most picturesque scenery of nature1 if we stood on some eminence1 gazing on the heroine coming out of her father's cottage1 hastening to the frothy beach1 springing into the fishing-boat1 braving the fury of the tempest and the wild uproar of the storm1 to rescue the shipwrecked mariners from a vessel sinking in the deep waters4 ,for it is a law of their nature1 no less than of ours1 that gratification shall yield to sympathy1 and that the sight of deliverance from fatal danger1 shall have a more gratifying effect on a sensitive and benevolent heart1 than the most brilliant and exciting scenes which can be presented to the imagination1 or to the senses2--thus demonstrating by a process as certain as any undeviating law of the material economy1 that every order of being1 except infernal spirits1 have an instinctive abhorrence of the disastrous crisis in the progress of suffering2 and that they feel an ecstasy of emotion which no sights of grandeur or of beauty1 and which no sounds of melody can excite1 when they behold an unanticipated deliverance from some horrifying and fatal termination4 ,there stands the poor criminal on the fatal platform1 and the minister of death is near him1 making the necessary arrangements for his execution2 deep sympathy is expressed in every countenance1 many sighs are heaved1 and many weep2 the silent prayer is offered up1 and all are breathless1 expecting the drop to fall which is to hurl him with convulsive agonies into the other world4 ,but there is a momentary pause1 as an act of homage to a stranger1 who very unexpectedly makes his appearance4 ,this stranger1 to whom all the officials and the doomed man pay marked attention1 is also an official armed with power1 not the power of death1 but of life2 he is the herald of mercy2 and with a loud voice proclaims his pardon4 ,the multitude1 long absorbed in sympathetic grief1 now raise the shout of gladsome triumph1 as they gaze on the once doomed man1 as he passes from the death of agony and infamy1 to newness of life2 they revel in the excess of ecstatic bliss2 and feel more joyful in spirit over this one criminal saved from the horrors of an ignominious death1 than over a whole community of righteous persons who were never involved in a sentence of condemnation4 ,,he ,,was ,,believed ,,on ,,in ,,the ,,world4--,the testimony of the ,bible1 and the records of ecclesiastical history1 attest this fact1 ,rev4 vii4 #i1 #aj2 and he is still believed on in the world4 ,i know1 brethren1 that many persons of refined taste1 and exquisite delicacy of feeling1 greatly admire the character of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the ,son of ,joseph and of ,mary2 and they feel a deep interest in the perusal of his history4 ,their imagination expands in reflecting on that magnificent scene beheld by the shepherds of ,bethlehem1 when his birth was announced by the angel of the ,lord4 ,his healing the sick in the temple--his opening the eyes of blind ,bartimeus--and his raising the only son of the widow as the procession was moving to the grave1 has a fine effect on their sensibilities4 ,the ,transfiguration of ,tabor sheds a halo of glory around his ,divine form1 which attracts and gratifies their love of the marvellous4 ,they catch the inspiration of a powerful sympathy on seeing him bathed in tears1 as he stands beholding in the distant vision the desolations coming on the city of ,jerusalem4 ,and when they gather around his cross1 they feel intense regret1 intermingled with no slight degree of astonishment1 that one so kind1 so humane1 and withal such a friend to suffering humanity1 should be so rudely and so cruelly treated1 and the falling tear bespeaks the sorrow of their heart4 ,now go amongst these refined1 these poetic1 these sentimental believers in the ,divine origin of the ,christian faith1 with the blood of atonement1 and what consternation will you produce6 ,they will soon evince a strange revulsion of feeling2 the term itself is harsh and unintelligible2 it is the jargon of the uncouth and the vulgar2 the crucifix charms their sentimentalism--they abhor the cross4 ,go and talk to them about the necessity of believing in the ,son of ,god to save them from perishing2 go and talk to them about joy and peace in believing1 and about the good hope through grace1 and you will soon lose caste1 and be sent adrift amongst the wild fanatics of the age4 ,they will bow down and do homage to the ,divine origin of ,christianity--that ideal ,christianity1 which takes its nature1 shape1 and hue from the creations of their fancy2 but let the ,christianity of the ,new ,testament come before them in her simple form--pure and spiritual1 breathing her own spirit1 speaking her own language1 delivering her own precepts and her own promises1 advancing her own claims1 and offering her own celestial gifts1 on her own humiliating and changeless conditions1 and they will treat her1 as the ,jews did her illustrious ,author1 with contemptuous scorn2 and would rather have her driven from the face of the earth1 than be enrolled as her devotees1 or retained as her advocates4 ,be it so4 ,but this you regret1 on their account1 as you know that they who believe not1 will die in their sins and perish for ever1 even though superior intelligence be blended with the fascination of the most distinguished accomplishments4 ,and you also regret this terrible calamity on your own account1 as the pardoned criminal necessarily feels an abatement of his joy when set free1 by knowing that others are left for execution4 ,but you1 ,christian brethren1 believe on ,him1 and have the witness within4 ,you believe on ,him1 and love ,him2 and to you he is precious4 ,you believe on ,him1 and know that all is safe for time1 safe in death1 and safe for eternity4 ,really1 said ,mr4 ,gordon1 as we were walking away1 ,i am almost tempted to believe in the truth of the ,christian theory1 on two accounts--it brings us into such close contact with beings of a superior order1 so that in passing into the invisible world1 we shall find that we are known there2 and then it gives such security to the mind against the horrors of death4 ,a sudden storm of heavy rain prevented any reply to these half-serious1 half-ironical remarks2 but on taking leave1 as we were getting into our separate hackney coaches1 he added1 ,i will call to-morrow evening1 after business hours1 and chat over those grave questions2 and perhaps ,i can prevail on ,newton to accompany me4 ,have patience2 ,i may become a believer in the course of time4 ,,the ,,sceptic',s ,,visit4 ,just after ,mr4 ,lewellin had left home1 to meet a friend on a matter of business1 ,mr4 ,gordon called1 agreeably to his promise on the previous day1 and we spent the evening together4 ,i had a lucky escape yesterday1 said ,mr4 ,gordon1 but ,i did not know of it till ,i took up the ,times this morning4 ,from what did you escape1 ,sir8 ,i had an engagement1 for yesterday morning1 to go with a pleasure party on an excursion up the river1 but ,i over-slept myself2 and it was well for me that ,i did so1 for the boat upset1 and ,i regret to say that a very excellent and accomplished lady1 whom ,i much admired1 was drowned4 ,as ,i was passing ,blackfriars' ,bridge1 in going to ,surrey ,chapel1 ,i witnessed an accident such as that to which you refer4 ,indeed6 ,it no doubt was the same1 for it was just as they were setting out from ,blackfriars' stairs that the disaster happened2 it must have been an appalling sight6 ,it was1 indeed1 a harrowing sight2 and ,i trust ,i shall never witness the like again4 ,i heard that the lady who was drowned was a very interesting creature1 and the only daughter of a pious father4 ,the tidings of her loss must have been a sad blow to him4 ,yes1 ,sir1 her father is one of your way of thinking1 and ,i believe him to be a very worthy man4 ,have you seen him since the fatal accident8 ,no1 no6 ,i have no heart to visit such a house of mourning4 ,the fact is1 ,i shall never be able to see him again1 for ,i planned the excursion1 and induced his son and daughter to join it4 ,this ,i now regret2 but regrets are useless things4 ,regrets do sometimes produce happy results1 and ,i should think that yours1 just now1 must be very keen4 ,indeed1 they are intensely keen4 ,it will be a long time before ,i get over the impression this fatal accident has made on me4 ,you should take it as a warning4 ,well1 ,i don't know how it is1 but ,i never feel quite myself when taking a ,sunday excursion2 ,i feel a little qualm of conscience1 even though ,i do not hold the ,sunday in such reverence as you do4 ,i thought some time#ab ago that ,i had got over these qualms1 but they will come back at times in spite of me4 #ab ,vol4 i4 page #ag4 ,i am glad to hear you say that your conscience does reprove you when you profane the ,sabbath1 and ,i hope its reproofs will be more severe than they ever have been4 ,they may be your protection against some fatal danger4 ,then1 ,sir1 if ,i do not mistake your meaning1 you wish me to be frightened into the adoption of religious habits4 ,is this a fair specimen of your ,christian charity8 ,the storm sometimes saves the vessel which might become a wreck in the calm1 as we heard in the sermon last evening2 and ,i assure you ,i should be highly gratified to see you agitated by a salutary feeling of dread and perplexity regarding the state of your soul1 as ,i then should indulge a hope that you would 'flee from the wrath to come1' and take refuge in the promises of the gospel4 ,well1 ,i must confess that ,mr4 ,guion is one of the most eloquent preachers ,i ever heard4 ,the conclusion of his sermon was truly sublime2 the congregation appeared to quail under its terror--a feeling which by no means surprised me4 ,there is1 indeed1 a fearful terror in the words the wrath to come2 and there was almost an irresistible impressiveness in the look and tones of the preacher when urging his audience to flee from it4 ,i felt1 just before he finished1 that ,i must take refuge in the promises of the gospel2 but the internal commotion soon subsided when ,i found myself beyond the reach of his voice1 though still ,i cannot forget it4 ,now1 ,sir1 to be candid2 is not the terror you felt1 when listening to the sermon we heard1 and the abiding recollection of it1 something like an unconscious homage instinctively paid to the positive reality of the ,christian faith8 for we can hardly suppose that you would invest a mere fiction with such power of impression4 ,why1 no2 ,i can scarcely admit that4 ,my idea is1 that my present feelings are merely the lingering influences of early religious training1 with its accompanying associations2 and we all know that such influences may subsist long after we have been led to form different opinions in our maturer years4 ,they live to admonish and to warn1 as well as to chastise4 ,there may be a wrath to come4 ,this you must admit1 simply because you do not know there is not2 nor can you know1 unless ,god is pleased to tell you so4 ,hence your scepticism needs a ,divine revelation to sustain it--mere disbelief goes for nothing in settling such a question4 ,well1 ,i know there is great difficulty1 and sometimes an impossibility1 in proving a negative2 but one thing is absolutely certain--,i cannot compel myself to believe what you believe1 any more than you can compel yourself to disbelieve what ,i disbelieve4 ,my belief has evidence to sustain it2 but your disbelief has none4 ,and while your disbelief is accompanied by a feeling of uneasiness and perplexity1 my faith exerts a soothing influence1 which keeps my mind in perfect peace4 ,well1 ,i admit that your faith does more for you than my disbelief does for me2 but ,i cannot believe what you do without impeaching both the wisdom and the beneficence of the ,deity4 ,in other words1 the ,deity must sink in my admiration before ,i can admit the ,divine origin of ,christianity4 ,but how so8 ,the eloquent preacher whom we heard last evening1 when discoursing on the expression in his text1 he was believed on in the world1 advanced two distinct propositions1 which he endeavoured to sustain by arguments taken from your ,scriptures4 ,the first was1 that there is salvation for the chief of sinners if they believe in ,christ and trust in him4 ,you believe and are safe1 and are happy because you expect to be saved4 ,now1 ,i have no objection to advance against this2 because ,i know that faith1 or trust in ,him1 does produce these moral effects on true believers4 ,but my nature revolts against his second proposition1 which was1 that none can be saved who do not believe in ,christ1 and trust in him for salvation4 ,in sustaining those propositions the preacher said--and there is great force in the remark--that we can have no assurance that any will be saved but by a ,divine testimony in proof of it2 and that if it please ,god to limit the exercise of his saving power to one prescribed method1 our objections against it will be altogether unavailing4 ,yes1 ,sir1 you quote correctly4 ,now1 in my opinion1 it would be a reflection on the wisdom and beneficence of the ,deity to suppose that he has bound himself under such a forced law of restriction as compels him to exclude all from a state of future happiness but the few who do believe and do trust in ,christ4 ,why1 have we not amongst us many men of unsullied honour1 of princely generosity1 and of the most amiable dispositions--men who take the lead in benevolent enterprises and social improvements--poets1 philosophers1 historians1 and statesmen1 who are applauded in public1 and admired and esteemed in private life1 but who cannot bow down and do homage to ,jesus ,christ1 by reposing an absolute dependence on him for a hope of future blessedness1 even though they unwillingly pay an external homage to the regulations and institutions of ,christianity8 ,are men of such a high order of mind--of such brilliant virtues--men who are the very life and soul of society--to be cast off and left to perish along with the dissipated and the worthless8 ,it cannot be4 ,your objection1 then1 does not lie so much against the salvation of the great sinners1 who repent and believe in ,christ1 as it does against the law of restriction1 which excludes all who do not repent and believe from the hope of salvation4 ,i can admit your first proposition1 without much difficulty1 even though ,i do not say that ,i actually believe it2 but ,i cannot entertain a belief that the ,deity has enacted a law which restricts the exercise of his beneficence to a select few1 some of whom1 on your own admission1 are more distinguished for their vices than for their virtues4 ,but is not the law of restriction1 even now1 a fundamental law of ,god's administrative government8 ,for example1 are superior intelligence1 genius1 or wealth1 made common property--to be possessed by men share and share alike8 ,do we not see that the few surpass the many--that some are brilliant stars while others are mere glowworms2 and while some occupy stations of affluence and grandeur1 others are left without a settled home1 or any of the comforts of life8 ,why1 if we really do believe that we are living under the administrative government of the ,deity1 then there is no denying the existence of this restrictive law4 ,facts are stubborn things2 those you mention are strongly corroborative of your views4 ,but it does not necessarily follow that this law of restriction applies to our final destiny1 even though it may be applicable to our present condition of existence4 ,but this admission deprives you of the basis on which you rest your argument1 that a law of restriction would be a direct impeachment of the wisdom and the beneficence of the ,deity4 ,well1 perhaps it does4 ,if1 then1 facts compel us to admit that this law of restriction is in full operation now1 while we are on earth1 surely we must admit the possibility of its continuance in a future state of existence1 without impugning the wisdom or justice of the ,deity8 ,i never enter on a discussion on the questions at issue between us1 without feeling compelled to do one of two things2 and yet ,i cannot bring my mind to do either4 ,i must admit the truth of revelation and its explanations1 and this ,i cannot do2 or ,i must abandon myself to universal scepticism1 and this ,i feel unwilling to do4 ,but ,i do confess that ,i feel it more easy to disbelieve than to believe4 ,however1 waiving further reference to this difficulty1 allow me to call your attention to another point1 which1 if not more difficult than the one we have just been discussing1 assumes1 at least in my estimation1 an aspect of great perplexity4 ,assuming then1 for the sake of the argument1 that the ,deity does restrict the bestowal of future happiness to those who do believe and trust in ,christ1 could he not have devised some other scheme for this purpose1 and one equally perfect and effective--one1 in fact1 less open to objections8 ,i will reply to your question by asking another4 ,could not ,god have made a world different to the one in which we live--one more congenial to our taste1 and less exposed to those privations and hardships to which we are often subjected1 and which we sometimes so much dread8--,a world1 for example1 in which every convenience and necessary should be placed within reach2 the earth producing spontaneously the supplies of corn and fruits necessary for our subsistence--a sufficient supply of dew as a substitute for rain with its discomforts--the purification of the air effected by gentle breezes instead of by tempests and hurricanes--no diseases to rack the body nor cares to harass the mind2 a world1 in fine1 in which universal happiness should prevail1 and sorrow and toil be unknown8 ,yes1 there is no denying that the ,deity could have done this4 ,but ,god has not done it2 and therefore to object to what he has done1 because we can imagine he could have done something better1 is as useless1 as it would be childish4 ,now1 suppose for a moment some other plan of salvation had been devised1 it would have been to accomplish what is effected by the present scheme--namely1 the final happiness of man4 ,the present scheme1 then1 answers the beneficent purpose of its ,author--another plan could do no more than this2 but it would be romantic to suppose that it could be so arranged1 in its various parts and modes of application1 as to preclude the possibility of any objections to it1 when we well know it is next to impossible to find any twenty men who all think alike even on the most obvious facts4 ,christianity places before us two great practical facts1 in which our present safety and final happiness are involved3 first1 there is a way to heaven or to a state of future blessedness--this should excite our gratitude2 there is only one way--this should make us cautious1 lest1 through ignorance1 prejudice1 or carelessness1 we come short of so glorious a consummation4 ,your explanations1 ,sir1 may be satisfactory to yourself1 but they are not so to me4 ,indeed1 the more ,i think of it1 the more ,i feel disinclined to bow down and do homage to the ,christian faith4 ,now1 for example1 it is an indisputable historic fact that many ages elapsed before ,christianity was promulgated2 and1 during this long period1 what countless millions of human beings must1 on your hypothesis1 have perished1 without ever having had a chance of being saved6 ,would the ,deity have remained silent so long if he had bound himself to your law of restriction--to save none but the few who believe and trust in ,christ for salvation8 ,if ,christianity1 which is the completion of the original scheme of salvation1 was not promulgated till a comparatively late period in the history of our world1 yet the essential substance of it was known from the earliest period of time4 ,the apostle says1 that ,abel1 the first man who tasted the bitterness of death1 offered his prefigurative sacrifice in faith1 which is a proof that he knew the way of salvation1 to be perfected by the death of the promised ,saviour2 and we may fairly presume that what he knew1 would be made known to his descendants1 from one generation to another4 ,and the same apostle says1 when speaking of his ,jewish ancestors--',for unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them2 but the word preached did not profit them1 not being mixed with faith in them that heard it' 7,heb4 iv4 #b74 ,and ,jesus ,christ himself says--',your father ,abraham rejoiced to see my day2 and he saw it1 and was glad' 7,john viii4 #ef74 ,from the time of ,abraham to the actual coming of ,christ1 the clearest and fullest revelations of this scheme of salvation were limited to ,abraham's descendants2 but we can collect from the records of ancient history1 scanty as its materials are1 sufficient evidence to prove1 that amongst the people of other nations it descended by traditional report and testimony1 from one generation to another1 so as to leave them without excuse1 if they perished in their disbelief1 or from their own neglect of giving it due attention4 ,at length they became so corrupt and debased that they were left1 as a judicial visitation from ,god1 to suffer the consequences of their depravity and impenitence 7,rom4 i4 #ba-be74 ,but what immense numbers of human beings must1 on your hypothesis1 have perished during this long reign of ignorance and moral corruption2 and ,i do not see that the state of things is much improved at the present time4 ,now1 let us look at the case just as it is4 ,christianity has been in existence and in active operation1 so you say1 for nearly two thousand years2 and yet how small is the space on the surface of our globe which is illumined by what you call her celestial light1 in comparison with the vast regions which are enveloped in moral darkness6 ,i admit it1 ,i replied4 ,but how will you reconcile such a tremendous state of things1 with the acknowledged wisdom and beneficence of the ,deity8 ,you are aware1 ,sir1 that we are often compelled to admit as indisputable facts1 what we cannot reconcile with the wisdom and benevolence of ,god--as the slave-trade1 for example1 slavery as it now exists in ,america1 and the perpetration of murders1 and other social crimes4 ,very true1 ,sir2 these are confounding facts4 ,they often stagger me4 ,permit me to say1 that the arguments you adduce to disprove1 if possible1 the truth of the ,christian faith1 and its practical utility1 are precisely those ,i would employ in proof of its ,divine origin and beneficial tendency4 ,going back to an early period of time1 let us consider some of the indisputable facts of history4 ,the tribes of ,israel1 we know1 had been held for centuries as slaves in the land of ,egypt2 and after their emancipation they went to reside in ,palestine4 ,in most of those qualities which command the respect and admiration of mankind1 the ,jewish nation was remarkably deficient4 ,with the exception of their sacred writings1 their literature appears to have been meagre in the extreme2 no eminent philosophers1 historians1 or orators adorn their annals1 and the fine arts seem scarcely to have had any existence among them4 ,compared with the ,greeks and ,romans1 and other nations of antiquity1 they were barbarians2 and were spoken of in the language of scorn and contempt by their more accomplished and renowned contemporaries4 ,in ,,one department of knowledge1 however1 the despised ,jewish people far surpassed the haughty statesmen and polished sages of ,greece and ,rome4 ,they knew the only true ,god1 and spoke of him in a style corresponding with his greatness1 his condescension1 and his paternal love4 ,while the inhabitants of all other countries were abandoned to the grossest and most abject superstition and idolatry1 the ,hebrews alone adored one ,god1 and alone appear to have possessed any suitable ideas of the dignity and holiness of the ,supreme ,being2 and while the worship of the pagan divinities was licentious and cruel1 that of the ,god of the ,jews was distinguished by its mildness and purity4 ,here is a contrast which must be traced to some adequate cause4 ,the ,jews most certainly1 in this department of knowledge1 claim a just superiority over other ancient nations2 but this may have been owing to their isolation and their training4 ,that ,i grant2 but their isolation was a ,divine arrangement1 and their training a ,divine dispensation4 ,they were separated from all other people by the express command of the ,lord their ,god2 and their teachers who trained them in this department of knowledge--the knowledge of the only true ,god1 and of the way of salvation1 proclaimed that ,god had made himself known to them by special revelation4 ,yes1 they said so1 and ,i will admit that they believed it was so2 but as they were not infallible1 they may have been mistaken4 ,why1 ,sir1 any person of common sense can easily distinguish between a discovery1 and a communication as to matters of fact4 ,however1 to account for their superior knowledge on these sublime and recondite subjects1 without admitting the correctness of their own testimony1'that ,god spake to their fathers1' is absolutely impossible1 unless we believe--what would be an outrage on common sense to imagine--that there is more acuteness in mental dulness than in superior intelligence2 and that an untutored people1 while devoting themselves chiefly to agriculture and the rearing of cattle1 could eclipse1 by the grandeur and sublimity of their discoveries1 a people who has long enjoyed the highest degree of intellectual culture4 ,but1 ,sir1 your ,scriptures prove that the ,jews had amongst them men of genius and of great mental power4 ,isaiah1 for example1 in sublimity and lofty grandeur of conception and description1 has no superior in any age or country2 and the pastoral odes of ,david equal1 if they do not surpass1 anything we meet with in ,pope or ,addison4 ,as a legislator1 ,moses stands at the head of his order1 and1 if my memory serves me1 the great critic ,longinus says he was no ordinary man2 and1 therefore1 it is not a matter of such wonderment that they made discoveries of the ,deity which no other philosophers ever made4 ,but you forget that what you call their discoveries were inspirations1 which came upon them from the ,source of all knowledge2 and to these inspirations they uniformly attribute their knowledge of the only true ,god1 and that scheme of salvation which he had devised on behalf of man4 ,and this belief was entertained by all the tribes of ,israel1 not simply because their teachers said so1 but because1 they confirmed the truthfulness of their testimony by signs1 and wonders1 and divers miracles4 ,and yet after all their novel and sublime discoveries in regard to these all-important subjects1 and after all the miraculous attestations which you say were supplied in confirmation of their truthfulness1 we find that they apostatized from the worship of their ,deity1 and relapsed again and again into idolatrous worship and practices1 and became corrupt and debased like the people of other nations4 ,that is very true1 ,sir2 and the consequences resulting from their apostasy supplies a very cogent argument in favour of my hypothesis4 ,while they adhered to the worship of the true ,god1 and observed the statutes and ordinances which he gave them1 they were a united1 virtuous1 and prosperous people2 and1 though few in number1 they were great in power4 ,no invading force could subdue them1 nor could any adjoining country into which they carried their arms withstand the shock of their assaults4 ,but when they renounced their allegiance to ,him1 and relapsed into idolatry1 practising at the same time the cruel and obscene rites of heathenism1 they became debased and corrupt like other pagan nations2 and then1 when the protecting arm of the ,lord their ,god was withdrawn1 they fell an easy prey to their enemies1 who reduced them to a state of slavery more galling to their national pride than that of ,egypt4 ,and1 in further confirmation of my argument1 just let us look at the present moral state of those countries which have not yet received and submitted to the authority of ,christianity4 ,there we find most triumphant evidence in favour of the moral superiority of the ,christian system over every other at present existing in the world1 in regard to promoting the dignity and happiness of mankind4 ,without descending to the gross idolatries of ,fetichism1 and other abject forms of superstition1 what is the social condition of nations where ,mahometanism or ,buddhism is professed8 and what1 on the other hand1 is that of those countries1 where ,christianity has been established8 ,to you1 ,sir1 who believe that the ,deity restricts the bestowal of a state of future blessedness to that comparatively small number who believe in ,jesus ,christ1 the condition of those nations where ,christianity is not established must appear truly appalling2 but to myself it presents no such painful aspect1 because1 as the ,deity has permitted this state of things to descend from one generation to another1 for such a series of ages1 ,i believe he looks with an equal eye of compassion and beneficence on all his offspring2 and that1 if there be a future state of blessedness in reserve1 he will discard your law of restriction1 and confer everlasting happiness on all1 without respect to their faith1 or their religious rites and customs4 ,hence ,i see no absolute necessity why you should embark in that crusade of missionary enterprise and labour1 which we heard recommended and enforced with so much eloquence last evening2 for we are not sure that if such a transfer of homage1 and change in the mode of worship1 could be effected1 it would augment the happiness of the people who are the subjects of it1 or improve their social habits and dispositions4 ,i am rather surprised to hear you make these remarks2 however1 without noticing all of them1 ,i think ,i can convince you that on some points you are labouring under a species of delusion1 and that ,i shall endeavour to point out4 ,i proceed1 then1 at once1 to real or very probable matters of fact4 ,a vessel1 richly laden and scantily manned1 may sail up the ,thames or the ,clyde in perfect safety1 even if there are no weapons of defence on board2 but if she were to venture near the coast of some parts of the ,indian seas1 her passengers and crew would run the risk of a contest for their lives and liberty with the savages on shore4 ,if a vessel should be wrecked on the shores of the once savage1 but now ,christian islands of ,tahiti or ,raratonga1 its crew and passengers would be sure of a kind reception from the natives2 while1 if a similar disaster should happen on the shores of the ,feejees or of ,sumatra1 they would run the risk of being seized and devoured2 or1 if spared this fate1 would be compelled to live in degradation and misery4 ,here are striking contrasts1 amongst human beings who are endowed with the same powers of intelligence and sympathy as ourselves2 but to what singular cause are these to be referred1 unless it be to the influence of the ,christian faith1 which1 you doubt1 will work no beneficial change in the character and condition of man8 ,you strike home now1 and ,i feel ,i must surrender4 ,but still1 while the diffusion of ,christianity may tend to tame the wild savage1 and make him more like a human being1 ,i do not see any necessity for your missionary labours amongst the ,chinese or the ,hindoos1 who are highly civilized1 and1 upon the whole1 intelligent4 ,why should any efforts be made to dispossess them of their religion1 with its rites and ceremonies1 which they inherit from their forefathers8 ,i think that no compulsory efforts should be made to achieve this end2 but ,i presume you would not think it wrong that our government should introduce the humane laws of ,britain into all her foreign dependencies8 ,why1 no2 such a measure1 ,i think1 would be very advisable4 ,i thank you for this admission in favour of the necessity of ,christian missions1 especially to ,india1 where cruelties are still practised in broad day1 such as we should be apt to regard as monstrous inventions1 fitted only to gratify a morbid appetite for the horrible1 were they not attested by faithful eye-witnesses4 ,what think you of this specimen8 ,at the annual festival in honour of ,muha ,div 7the great god71 many persons are suspended in the air by large hooks1 thrust through the integuments of their backs1#ac and swung round for a quarter of an hour1 in honour of this deity2 and often over a slow fire4 ,others have their sides pierced1 and cords are introduced between the skin and ribs1 and drawn backwards and forwards1 while these victims of superstition dance through the streets4 ,others cast themselves from a stage upon open knives1 inserted in packs of cotton4 ,sometimes one of these knives enters the body1 and the poor wretch is carried off to expire4 ,if an infant refuses his mother's milk1 it is often hung up in a basket on a tree1 to be devoured by the vultures4 ,this is no criminal offence1 as it would be amongst us1 but a ceremonial regulation of their faith4 ,and in ,india1 the mother often sacrifices her first-born1 to conciliate her guardian deity in behalf of her unborn progeny4 ,when the child is two or three years old1 she takes it to the river1 encourages it to enter1 as though about to bathe it1 but suffers it to pass into the current of water1 when she abandons it1 and stands an inactive spectator1 beholding the struggles and listening to the screams of her perishing infant4 #ac ,we find1 from a document which has recently come from ,india 7,december1 #ahef71 that some of these cruel rites are abolished in a few of the provinces2 and there is now no doubt but the work of legislative humanity and enlightened policy having been begun1 will steadily advance1 till the triumphs of missionary enterprise in our ,indian empire are complete4 ,an order has just been promulgated by the magistrate of ,poonah1 under instructions from government1 prohibiting hook-swinging and other barbarous practices throughout the ,poonah ,zillah4 ,such a measure has long been desired by all who wish for the improvement of the natives4 ,of old it was believed--or careless and idle minds found it convenient to believe--that it was dangerous to meddle with any native practice1 however immoral or revolting1 that was connected with or claimed the sanction of religion4 ,but times are changed1 and innovations which might not safely have been attempted a century or half a century ago1 the age is now ripe for4 ,another barbarous custom1 also prevalent at ,jejooree1 is interdicted by the proclamation of ,mr4 ,davidson4 ,a man runs a sword through the fleshy part of his leg for about a foot1 and1 drawing it out1 sprinkles the blood on the entrance of the temple4 ,for this feat he receives large free-will offerings2 and the right to perform it is vested1 as a valuable privilege1 in a body of about fifteen families1 to each individual of which it comes round once in about six or seven years4 ,these men1 however1 long ago declared that they would be glad to discontinue the practice 7which some think is a remnant of the rite of human sacrifice7 if their incomes could be assured to them4 ,i would have all these cruel rites and ceremonies put down by the force of law2 which1 of course1 would supersede the necessity of your missionary enterprise4 ,as experience is a safe guide in the settlement of doubtful questions1 a reference to it1 on the present occasion1 will supply palpable evidence that the labours of our missionaries in ,india have been of great importance and value1 both to the natives themselves1 and also to the government1 by facilitating the introduction and peaceable establishment of a humane policy4 ,the history of their labours proves that they were not visionary speculatists1 but sober-thinking men1 who knew and realized the fact1 that wherever ,christianity prevails it uniformly conduces to the progress of mankind2--that it communicates that just manner of thinking upon the most important subjects1 which1 extending its influence thence to every department of speculative and moral truth1 inspires a freedom of inquiry1 and an elevation of sentiment1 that raises its disciples immeasurably above the level of unassisted nature4 ,this great historic truth gave them confidence in the prosecution of their herculean labours4 ,let me now notice what they have already accomplished1 and that without creating any popular disturbances amongst the natives1 thus falsifying the predictions of their opponents1 who1 from the press and in both houses of parliament1 were accustomed to say1 that the safety of our ,indian possessions was endangered by the presence of our missionaries there2 and that our ,indian empire would be irrecoverably lost if any legislative measure were introduced to suppress or control the superstitious customs and rites of the natives4 ,in the first place1 the missionaries have given us correct information on all matters relating to the ,hindoos--their worship1 and its various ceremonies--their character1 and social habits2 and thus1 by an accumulation of authentic facts1 they have disproved the statements of our popular writers1 that the ,hindoos are not only an intelligent1 but a very virtuous people2 and that their religious rites and services1 though novel and repulsive to ,europeans1 are both chaste and humane4 ,since the missionaries exposed this deception1 which had been so long practised upon us1 no one has ventured to eulogize the virtues1 or defend the religious practices of the ,hindoos4 ,in the second place1 they established schools for the education of the youth of ,india1 both male and female2 and thus they have succeeded1 to a very considerable extent1 in diffusing both scientific and biblical knowledge1 which is noiselessly but effectively rescuing them from the dominion of the debasing ignorance and superstition under which their forefathers had been living from time immemorial4 ,and no one doubts1 who is at all conversant with the present state of things in ,india1 but the rising generation will far surpass any preceding one1 in mental acuteness1 in knowledge1 and in moral character4 ,in the third place1 by their writings1 their preaching1 and their intercourse with the natives1 they have proved useful pioneers in clearing the way for the peaceable introduction of the laws promulgated by the ,british government for the suppression of many of those cruel practices to which ,i have already alluded4 ,in the fourth place1 without employing any undue modes of attack and exposure1 they have succeeded1 to a very considerable extent1 in shaking the confidence of the ,hindoos in the truth of their national faith2 and a powerful conviction is impressed on the ,indian mind--an impression which is becoming deeper and deeper every day--that the days of their mythology are numbered1 and that ere long its humiliation and subversion will be achieved4 ,and1 in addition to these proofs and indications of their success1 ,i have to report another of their triumphs1 and that refers to your own fraternity--the conversion of many of our own countrymen1 who1 on their settlement in ,india1 became first speculative1 and then practical unbelievers--rejecting1 as visionary or fabulous1 the faith of their early training1 and often distinguishing themselves by their virulent hostility to the ,christian missionary and his labours2 but who now zealously co-operate with him in his exertions to spread the knowledge of the way of salvation4 ,to you1 these doings of your missionaries are splendid triumphs in confirmation of the ,divine origin of that faith1 which restricts the bestowal of a state of future blessedness to the comparatively few who believe in ,jesus ,christ2 but to me they appear nothing more than the natural consequences of a well-concerted attack on a long-established and nearly worn-out order of things1 which we know invariably results in dividing popular opinion4 ,on all such occasions ,divide and conquer is the motto1 and when this is done1 then the pruning off from the old stock of belief and opinion1 and the engrafting on the new one1 is an operation as natural as it is easy4 ,human nature is given to change2 the love of it is an essential element in our mental constitution1 and nothing is more common than going from one extreme to another1 or more likely than the change from ,brahminism or ,buddhism to the faith of ,christianity4 ,and from ,deism to ,christianity also1 as ,i have shown you4 ,hence1 to quote your own words1 ,i indulge the hope that you will become a believer1 if we have patience4 ,a possible event1 on the assumed correctness of your hypothesis1 as then ,i may be operated on by some ,divine influence1 which ,i shall have no power to withstand2 but on my own supposition1 as remote from possibility as the junction of the antipodes4 ,we shall see4 ,you have already advanced some way in the right direction4 ,but to return to ,india4 ,here is a fact1 which was not publicly known amongst us1 till it was reported by our missionaries--that one whole tribe in ,india has uniformly destroyed every female child born amongst them1 so that they have been obliged to take their wives from the tribe next in rank to them4 ,on one occasion a father's heart recoiled when the emissaries of murder demanded his daughter2 and he repelled them from his presence4 ,her life was spared1 and she grew up tenderly beloved by her parents2 but the sight of a girl rising to maturity in the house of a ,rajpoot1 was so novel1 and so contrary to the customs of the tribe1 that no parent sought her in marriage for his son4 ,the grief-worn father1 suffering under the frowns of his own tribe1 and trembling for the chastity of his daughter1 and the honour of his family1 bore her off to a pathless desert1 where1 with his own hand1 he slew her1 leaving her body to be devoured by wild beasts4 ,horrid6 horrid6 ,such transactions as these1 if true and believed1 are enough to rouse popular indignation against our government for not adopting some prompt and severe measures to prevent their repetition4 ,i would annihilate the whole tribe1 rather than suffer such inhuman monsters to live on earth4 ,you then would recommend a wholesale massacre to save a few lives2 while ,i would advocate the introduction amongst them of a pure and humane faith1 which teaches and enforces the relative obligations of parents and children as they prevail amongst ourselves4 ,this sense of relative obligation1 and the social improvement which necessarily follows it1 ,christianity1 by its mild and persuasive influence1 has already succeeded in establishing in the cannibal islands of the ,south ,sea1 and also1 to some extent1 amongst the natives of civilized ,india4 ,christianity can do1 and ,i have no doubt will do1 for ,india what she has done for ,britain--subvert her idolatry1 with its cruel and obscene rites1 and raise up an enlightened and renovated native population1 who1 with gladsome voices1 will sing the song of ,bethlehem1 ',glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good-will toward men' 7,luke ii4 #ad74 ,mr4 ,gordon1 on rising to take his leave1 said1 ,well1 there is no denying the fact1 that the world is in a sad disordered state2 and if you think you can improve it by your missionary labours1 ,i will not impeach the benevolence of your motives1 though1 without hesitation1 ,i may predict the failure of your sacrifices and exertions4 ,but1 ,sir1 you must acknowledge that it is more honourable to fail in the cause of philanthropy than to make no effort4 ,this honour1 ,i believe1 is in reserve for you1 though ,i must say you merit one more brilliant4 ,go on1 my dear ,sir2 but don't be too sanguine4 ,utopia ,i know is very rich in splendid scenery1 but unfortunately it partakes much of the nature of the mirage4 ,good night2 with many thanks for all your good wishes4 ,a ,,renewed ,,encounter4 ,the night before ,i left ,london1 ,mr4 ,gordon again called1 and1 after some desultory conversation1 our attention happened to be directed to the book entitled ,no ,fiction1 which was lying on the table4 ,this led to a somewhat sharp and lengthened encounter4 ,i dipped into that book1 said ,mr4 ,gordon1 the other day1 and it gave me some amusement1 as the tale is made to appear a very natural one4 ,its author narrates and sketches extremely well1 for a divine1 and it is highly creditable to his talents1 which must certainly be of a superior order4 ,yes1 ,sir1 he is quite a superior man4 ,there is one paragraph of his tale to which ,i should like to direct your attention1 and which1 by your permission1 ,i will read to you4 ,read on1 ,sir1 and ,i'll give all due attention4 ,i then read as follows3-- ,i have often been delighted1 said ,douglas1 in reading the accounts of the power of religion on the minds of children2 but this is the first instance which has fallen beneath my own eye4 ,what a religion is ours6 ,how great--and yet how plain6 ,it is so sublime1 that it rises beyond the conception of the most enlarged mind6 and so simple1 that it brings home its lessons to the bosom of a little child6 ,the elements of the gospel1 like the elements of our nourishment1 are adapted to the endless varieties of age1 and character1 and circumstance1 throughout all the human race4 ,and this appears1 said ,lefevre1 to be a feature in our religion which distinguishes it from all false religions4 ,as far as ,i am acquainted with the subject1 no one of the pagan systems could have been rendered universal4 ,they all received their character from national prejudice1 national policy1 and predominant national vices4 ,yes1 rejoined ,douglas1 and as1 in their own nature1 they were not adapted for the benefit of mankind as such1 so their great teachers discovered an indifference to the bulk of the human race1 incompatible with everything which deserves the name either of religion or morality4 ,with haughty pride they exulted in their own wisdom1 and looked down with scorn or ridicule on the folly of those who were not initiated into their false philosophy4 ,man scarcely deserved their notice1 but as he claimed the proud titles of rich1 or wise1 or noble2 and women and children were utterly abandoned to ignorance and wretchedness4 ,jesus1 our blessed ,saviour1 was the first ,master in religion who opened the door of knowledge to all--who carried his instructions and his tears to the cottage of the poor6 ,this appears to me to involve a powerful evidence of the truth of ,christianity1 that may well perplex and confound the hosts of infidelity4 ,i have more than once thought that the psalmist must have referred to this use of the subject1 when he said1 ',out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength1 because of thine enemies3 that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger4' ,this passage1 if ,i remember rightly1 ,mr4 ,gordon remarked1 refers to a tale very similar to your story of ,the ,woodman's ,daughter2 but ,i must confess1 with all due deference1 that ,i see nothing very remarkable in it2 and how you can think of adducing it as an argument in favour of the ,divine origin of ,christianity1 rather surprises me4 ,children1 we know1 are imitative4 ,they take the manners1 the habits1 and the tones of their parents and teachers2 and if they should adopt their sentiments1 feelings1 and expressions1 it certainly ought not to be considered remarkable4 ,but yet ,i should like to hear how you contrive to connect such a fact and the divinity of the gospel together4 ,such a fact1 ,sir1 proves that the ,christian religion is adapted 7as we may fairly presume it would be1 if of ,divine origin71 to the moral condition of man1 irrespective of his age--of the strength or weakness of his intellect--or the peculiar shades of his moral character4 ,to suppose that this adaptation is by accident1 would be no less objectionable than to conclude1 with the sceptics of the ,french school1 that it is by chance we see1 hear1 and speak4 ,if you are prepared to admit that the marks of contrivance1 which we can easily discover in the construction and organization of our senses1 supply us with a legitimate argument in favour of the existence of a ,god1 by whose power and wisdom this organization has been arranged1 ,i cannot conceive how you can avoid admitting the marks of contrivance which we can as easily trace in the ,christian scheme of salvation1 as conclusive evidence in favour of its ,divine origin4 ,o ,sir6 it has been invented by a few crafty men1 who wished to display their skill at the expense of our credulity1 and they have done it most dexterously4 ,they were certainly adepts in invention4 ,i know that this is a favourite opinion with you ,deists2 but ,i do not think that you can support it4 ,how came these men to devise a scheme of religion which is so admirably adapted to the moral state of man8 ,from whence did they gain their information8 ,they tell us that they wrote under the dictation of an infinitely wise ,spirit1 and1 in common fairness1 their testimony ought to be admitted2 and1 ,i think1 a candid examination of what they have done1 and the style in which they have done it1 will satisfy us that they are truth-speaking men4 ,i form my judgment on this point as ,i should on another somewhat analogous to it4 ,if1 for example1 ,i saw an epic poem equal to that of ,virgil or ,milton1 or a treatise on logic superior to that of ,dr4 ,watt's1 written by a boy of ten years of age2 and1 if on expressing my astonishment and admiration1 he should say--',the writing1 ,sir1 is mine1 but nothing more--,i wrote from the dictation of ,wordsworth and ,whately1' ,i should at once believe him1 from a consciousness of his incompetency to produce such compositions by his own unaided powers4 ,so with the sacred writers4 ,we know that1 with very few exceptions1 they were unlearned and ignorant men1 and their contemporaries who knew them spoke of them as such2 and yet they have surpassed all other men in the science of moral and spiritual truth4 ,in confirmation1 too1 of this internal evidence of the truthfulness of their testimony1 that they wrote under the dictation of an infallible ,spirit1 we find1 on examination1 that the various parts of their comprehensive1 yet minute theory1 are in perfect harmony with each other1 while1 at the same time1 the theory itself is admirably adapted to the moral condition of humanity4 ,the marks of contrivance are too obvious to allow us to refer the arrangements to chance1 or the mere skill of man4 ,for our guilt1 it provides a propitiatory sacrifice1 whose blood cleanses from all sin--for our depravity1 it provides a renovating influence1 by which1 we are made partakers of the purity of the ,divine nature2 regarding us as oppressed with cares and sorrows1 it animates us with exceeding great and precious promises1 by which we are enabled to put our trust in ,god1 and thus rise above the trials of this life2 and1 viewing us as panting for immortality1 it unveils futurity1 and delights us with the sublime vision of endless happiness4 ,to you1 who are initiated into a firm belief of the ,divine origin of ,christianity1 this apparent adaptation of it to our moral condition and necessities1 and its revelations of a future state of happiness1 must appear as the consummation of wisdom and benevolence4 ,but ,i cannot resist the impression1 that it is to the activity of your imagination you ought to attribute this correspondence1 rather than to any actual fact2 and that you are1 at least so ,i think1 unconsciously beguiling yourself with pleasing anticipations which will all prove visionary4 ,the gospel1 ,sir1 is a living reality1 and it works moral wonders4 ,i don't quite comprehend your meaning4 ,i mean1 that it answers the purpose for which it was intended1 or1 in other words1 it does the moral work which is ascribed to it1 and does it effectually2 this ,i can prove by an appeal to living testimony4 ,hence1 when it is received by faith1 it does give peace to a wounded conscience2 it does infuse a renovating power1 by which man becomes a new creature1 in his moral principles and social habits2 it does administer the most soothing and strengthening consolation to the child of sorrow1 and it animates the dying believer with the hopes of a blissful immortality4 ,these are moral facts which the experience of myriads can attest4 ,yes1 ,i see how it is2 the imagination traces a correspondence between its own impulses1 and aerial flights1 and the component parts of your scriptural theory2 and you very naturally think that you would be robbed of an inestimable treasure1 and the world at large sustain an irreparable loss1 if your theory of faith should be exploded as a worn-out relic of an antiquated superstition4 ,but1 after all you say against the ,christian faith1 ,i do not think you would vote for its expulsion from the earth1 even if you thought you could succeed in effecting it2 and ,i will tell you why4 ,its expulsion would be as great a calamity to the moral world1 as the total disappearance of the solar light would be to the physical--we should at once relapse into a state of profound ignorance on all the important questions which relate to ,god1 to our origin1 our immortality1 and our destiny4 ,we should then find ourselves groping about1 like the ancient heathen1 amidst vain and foolish speculations1 striving to unravel the mysteries of our nature1 and finding no resting-place for our troubled spirits4 ,i have often thought1 when musing on such a fearful occurrence1 what an awful gloom would spread over the world if we knew that the fatal hour was coming1 when1 by some supernatural process1 all our knowledge of ,jesus ,christ1 and the design of his mission and death1 would suddenly pass away from human recollection2 and when every leaf in our ,bible1 and of all other books referring to him1 should become as blank as they were before they were printed--leaving us1 like the doomed spirits of the infernal world1 without a ,saviour1 or any promise of mercy4 ,you would anticipate such a strange event with sad and awful forebodings4 ,the disappearance of ,jesus ,christ from your theory of belief would be to you1 and to all of your way of thinking1 an irreparable calamity2 though ,i must confess1 that ,i cannot account for the hold he keeps on your imaginations4 ,to me1 this is a mystery which deepens in profundity the more ,i try to fathom it4 ,his very name appears to be a charm1 and of more than magic power4 ,yes1 ,mr4 ,gordon1 there is a charm in the name of ,jesus1 which at all times1 but more especially under circumstances of great privation and danger1 both soothes and elevates his disciples4 ,they fear not to die in the tranquillity of their own homes or the raging of the tempest1 on the scaffold or the battle-field4 ,i will not attempt to deny a fact which general testimony confirms2 but permit me to ask1 if you can assign any rational cause for what appears to me so mysterious8 ,i can2 the fact admits of a fair explanation4 ,those who have faith in ,christ believe that1 though invisible1 ,he is ever near them to succour and to comfort them4 ,hence1 the sailor1 when pacing the deck during the dark and stormy night1 prays to ,,him1 who1 when sailing with his disciples1 rebuked the winds and the waves2 and he feels that he is addressing one who hears him1 and can save him4 ,yes6 and in the dreary cell of tyranny--at the stake of martyrdom--in penury1 suffering1 and in death--the name of ,jesus is uttered with thrilling accents1 and awakens associations which have tenfold greater power over the soul than the kindest expressions of human sympathy and love4 ,i was an eye-witness1 not long since1 to a display of ,christian heroism in death3--,a young man1 of superior intelligence and station in life1 who had been rather sceptically inclined1 was taken ill1 and during his continued illness his sceptical notions vanished1 and he became a simple believer in ,christ ,jesus4 ,after the lapse of some months1 his physician told him he must die1 as his disease was beyond the reach of human skill4 ,i was present when this announcement was made1 and he received it without expressing either surprise or regret4 ,when his medical attendant withdrew1 he said to his mother and his sisters1 who stood weeping by his bedside--',i am not surprised by your tears1 for ,i know you love me2 but weep not for me1 for ,i am nearing the end of my course4 ,my confidence of a glorious issue is placed on ,,him1 who is mighty to save2 he is with me1 though ,i see him not4 ,death's dark vale is illumined with the light of life1 and ,i shall soon pass through it1 and then ,i shall be safe and happy for ever4' ,most marvellous6 and yet ,i believe it4 ,such incidents as these are most impressive4 ,we are mysterious beings1 alternately terrified by our own imaginary fears1 and excited to ecstasy by the illusions of our own fancy4 ,but the extinction of ,christianity and its sacred records might prove a great disaster to you sceptics2 especially at some of the turning points of your history4 ,to us6 you now really take me by surprise2 but1 to be serious1 how do you make this out8 ,why1 it is well known that sceptics1 when in expectation of death1 often call on ,jesus ,christ to save them4 ,a drowning man will catch at a straw4 ,he would prefer a life-boat4 ,true4 ,i ask you one plain question--,if you lived on a dangerous coast1 would you ever scuttle a life-boat which has rescued many from destruction1 and which possibly you may live to need8 ,i see your drift1 and admire your ingenuity4 ,of course1 ,i would not4 ,well1 ,i will venture on another supposition1 and leave you to decide whether ,i am not right in my conjectures1 that even you1 with all your antipathies to ,jesus ,christ1 may be surprised in circumstances which would render the sound of his name the most effectual solace that could be given4 ,suppose1 for instance1 we were walking together in some vast forest in the far northern part of ,america1 and saw advancing toward us a band of apparently ferocious savages1 should we not tremble with fear and apprehension8 ,but suppose1 while in this state of terror1 we should hear them singing in chorus a verse of some familiar hymn1 would you then recoil in terror8 ,would you experience additional consternation on perceiving that these barbarians had been instructed in the ,christian faith8 ,i like your illustrations--they amuse me4 ,can't you favour me with another8 ,i will try4 ,suppose you were sailing among the islands of the ,south ,seas1 and1 when nearing one of them1 would you not rather see the natives on the beach clothed in ,european dresses1 as at ,tahiti and ,raratonga1 than in a state of savage nudity8 and would you hesitate to drop anchor if you heard them singing in harmony-- ',jesus shall reign where'er the sun ,does his successive journeys run3 ,his kingdom stretch from shore to shore1 ,till moons shall wax and wane no more4' ,in arguing1 said ,mr4 ,gordon1 there is nothing more desirable than a good illustration1 which gives pleasure1 even when it does not produce conviction4 ,well1 then1 ,i will admit that there is a strange fascinating power in a name1 and in mental associations1 for which our most sagacious philosophers are unable to account2 but that's no reason why ,i should give it my sanction1 if ,i believe1 as ,i do in these cases1 that it springs out of a superstitious belief2 and1 therefore1 leaving the sailor in the storm1 and the prisoner in the cell1 with the rest of your illustrative examples1 and not caring to conjecture how ,i should act or feel if ,i were placed in such circumstances as you describe1 ,i certainly1 according to my present views and impressions1 would vote for the expulsion of ,christianity1 if my suffrage could bring about such an event2 but ,i fear that it is too deeply fixed in the prejudices of the public mind ever to be rooted up--at least in our time4 ,but would you not tremble in anticipation of the success of such an effort8 ,expel ,christianity from the earth6 ,why1 what evil has she done8 ,you may trace her progress by the improved condition of the people whom she has visited and blessed4 ,where she finds a wilderness1 she leaves a fruitful field for the sickle of the husbandman2 she meets with briars and thorns1 and converts them into the myrtle tree and the rose2 she encounters all the base lusts and ferocious dispositions of our nature1 and supplants them with the tranquillizing affections of purity and peace4 ,she improves the intellect1 refines the taste1 and humanizes the character2 and1 by raising men to a state of spiritual communion with the ,supreme ,being1 imprints on them the image of his benevolence1 and animates them with his love of righteousness4 ,she mitigates the violence of sorrow--binds up the wounds which adversity inflicts in the heart of man--reconciles the mourner to his bitter loss--disarms death of his terrors--and exhibits beyond the grave a scene of tranquillity and of joy which no hand can portray or tongue describe4 ,expel ,christianity from the earth6 ,then1 ,sir1 you would give perpetuity to those horrid systems of idolatry which maintain their dominion over the great majority of the human race1 as no power will ever destroy them but that which the gospel of ,christ displays4 ,nay1 ,sir2 if you were to succeed1 you would prove the greatest enemy to man that ever visited the earth since the author of all evil triumphed over our first parents3 for how many thousands would you1 by such a wanton act of cruelty1 deprive of their sweetest sources of consolation1 and their brightest prospects of happiness6 ,you are eloquently severe2 but1 my dear ,sir1 you may spare your severity1 as it is not likely that ,i shall ever make the attempt1 and less likely that ,i should succeed1 were ,i vain1 or1 to quote your own language1 wanton and cruel enough to do it4 ,i willingly admit that ,christianity has done some good1 but you must allow that she has done some evil2 and it is but fair to balance the one against the other1 to see which preponderates4 ,if she has promoted peace in one country1 she has planned massacres in others2 if she has blessed one family1 she has introduced discord and division into others2 and if there are a few solitary individuals animated by her promises of mercy1 there is a larger number who tremble under the awful denunciations of her vengeance4 ,her promises of mercy are addressed to all1 and all are invited to receive the blessings which she is willing to bestow2 but if they disdainfully reject them1 and treat her message of grace with contempt1 she turns away1 and announces their approaching doom2 and she does this in a tone1 and with a lofty majesty of speech1 which often makes the most daring quail before her4 ,but why do they tremble1 if they believe she has no power to punish8 ,your other charges against her ,i will meet by a quotation from a book#ad which ,i wish you would peruse1 and which ,i shall be happy to present to you3-- ,that men calling themselves ,christians have persecuted others with unrelenting cruelty1 and have shed rivers of innocent blood1 is but too true4 ,did ,christianity countenance this conduct1 it would merit unqualified reprobation4 ,but far from such a disposition1 it forbids all violence and injury to be employed in its defence4 ,christianity never shed a drop of its enemies' blood since the day that ,christ died on the cross2 but it has been lavish of its own4 ,it never forged a chain to bind a heretic or an adversary1 nor erected a prison to immure him4 ,christianity never dipped her pen in tears of blood1 to write a penal law denouncing vengeance on infidels4 ,she never made her bitterest foe heave a groan1 from any bodily suffering inflicted by her hands4 ,her only weapons of offence and defence are truth and prayer4 ,she returns good for evil1 and blessing for cursing4 ,if men1 wearing the garb of the disciples of ,jesus1 instigated by pride1 and the lust of dominion1 and a desire to gratify the worst passions of the human heart1 injure any of the human race under a pretence of zeal for religion1 they act in direct opposition to the gospel1 and you cannot condemn them with too much severity4 ,but surely ,christianity should not be condemned for what it forbids men to perpetrate under pain of the ,divine displeasure4 ,or if such as were truly ,christians ever sought to put a stop to infidelity or error1 and to propagate the gospel in the world by force 7and it is to be deplored with tears of blood that such there have unhappily been71 they will receive no more thanks from ,christ than the three disciples when they wished him to bring down fire from heaven to destroy the ,samaritans3--',ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of3 the ,son of man came not to destroy men's lives1 but to save them4' ,nor would he account the words1 which he directed to ,peter on a different occasion1 too severe to be used to them here3--',get thee behind me1 ,satan1 thou art an offence unto me2 for thou savourest not the things which be of ,god1 but the things which be of men4' ,both the principles and precepts of the gospel1 and the conduct of ,christ and his apostles1 are as remote from persecution as the east is from the west4 #ad ,dr4 ,bogue's ,essay on ,the ,divine ,authority of the ,new ,testament4 ,i admire the candid and amiable spirit of the writer1 and will certainly read his book1 if only from respect to the friendship which dictates the present2 but ,i will not flatter you with any hope of bringing me over to your belief4 ,however1 waiving all personal remarks1 allow me to ask you if you really believe that ,christianity will ever become a universal religion8 and1 if so1 how do you think it will be propagated through the earth8 ,that it is adapted to become a universal religion1 no one can doubt who has ever inquired into its nature and design1 or who has ever read the history of its progress4 ,it is suited to man as a rebellious subject of the ,divine government2 and it has been embraced by men of every rank1 of every clime1 and of every description of character4 ,hence1 if you could bring together1 in one place1 some natives of ,europe1 ,africa1 ,asia1 and ,america1 or from any of the islands or cities which belong to either of these great divisions of the earth2 and could1 by some miraculous influence1 impart to them the power of speaking the same language1 you would find them all1 if they had embraced the pure faith of ,christ1 giving utterance to the same sentiments--expressing the same feelings--exulting in the same prospects--and disclosing all the peculiarities of the same singular and extraordinary spiritual character4 ,but1 ,sir1 if this hypothetical statement be correct1 how will you account for the endless divisions which prevail amongst those who are known to embrace the same ,christian faith8 ,you ought1 ,sir1 to distinguish between a real and a nominal ,christian2 and though ,i will not deny but there are diversities of opinion even amongst real ,christians1 yet they relate to minor and subordinate questions4 ,consider ,christianity as coming from ,god--it is pure and unspeakably good2 view it as received by men--it will be1 as the schoolmen say1 secundum modum recipientis4 ,if the difference of capacity1 and the prejudices and passions of mankind be duly weighed1 we shall not account it strange if they do not all think alike1 nor receive the truth in all its purity4 ,but this is not peculiar to the ,christian religion4 ,there are divisions and dissensions in matters of religion among pagan idolaters1 among ,mahometans1 and among ,deists4 ,you cannot deny it4 ,but the ,deist does not consider this as a reason for rejecting ,deism4 ,if so1 neither is it a reason for rejecting ,christianity4 ,more particularly1 some men are destitute of every noble principle--they are full of deceit1 avarice1 pride1 and sensuality4 ,we see them abuse the gifts of nature1 and of ,providence2 is it wonderful1 then1 if they pervert ,christianity too1 and entertain different ideas of many of its doctrines from wise and godly men8 ,it is no more an objection against ,christianity being from ,god1 because such persons come short of its purity1 than against the gifts of nature and other temporal blessings being from ,god1 because they are often abused4 ,weakness of intellect will produce peculiarities of sentiment on every subject1 and1 consequently1 on religion4 ,the prejudices of education and early habits will generate attachments to certain opinions and rites2 hence1 also1 differences in religion will arise2 but the fault is not in ,christianity1 it is in man4 ,from similar causes we see a diversity of opinion among the learned regarding sciences of great utility--medicine1 law1 politics1 philosophy2 but1 notwithstanding this1 all allow them to be highly beneficial to mankind--none deny their usefulness1 although people differ about some particular points4 ,to reject the gospel1 because bad men pervert it1 and weak men deform it1 and angry men quarrel about it1 displays the same folly as if a person should cut down a useful tree because caterpillars disfigured its leaves1 and spiders made their webs among its branches4 ,i have no objection at present to offer to this fair explanation of the difficulty which has often perplexed me2 but you will permit me to refer you to my former question--,do you think that ,christianity will ever be universally established8 ,i do1 ,sir2 and my belief is founded on the following basis4 ,christianity is adapted for a universal religion2 it foretells the fact of its universal establishment2 its disciples are commanded by the ,lord ,jesus ,christ to seek its universal propagation2 and it is now spreading itself with unexampled rapidity through the nations of the earth4 ,you cannot1 ,sir1 but be conscious that the aspect of the times indicates some approaching change in the destinies of man2 and though you1 on your principles1 cannot hail any redeeming power by which the curse that inflicts such mighty evils on suffering humanity can be rolled away1 yet we can on ours2 and hence1 while you are left to speculate on the charms of a philosophy which has never ameliorated the moral condition of man1 we can speak with confidence of the intervention of ,him1 who will turn the curse into a blessing1 and make this earth the abode of purity1 of harmony1 and of bliss4 ,but how do you expect this great and mysterious change to be brought about8 ,not by force4 ,that has been tried by short-sighted rulers in former times1 and has utterly failed4 ,conversion to ,christianity which is effected by such means produces no change in the human heart4 ,the man remains the same1 though his professed belief may vary4 ,the circulation of the ,scriptures1 the distribution of religious treatises1 and the preaching of the gospel1 are the only means which we employ to accomplish this great design4 ,but1 even when these means are used in the most judicious manner1 we do not calculate on accomplishing the purpose which we have in view without the influence of a supernatural co-operation2 for it is not by the power of man that the demon of superstition1 or the ,moloch of idolatry is to be dethroned1 and ,christianity established1 but by the ,spirit of the ,lord4 ,i rather admire your dexterity in avoiding1 on principle1 the mortification attendant on any failure in your pious efforts in behalf of the perishing heathen4 ,i don't quite understand you4 ,why1 you say1 your success is dependent on the concurrence of a supernatural power2 and1 consequently1 if you fail in your pious undertaking1 you lay the blame on the inactivity of this supposed preternatural influence1 never for a moment doubting your own sagacity1 or questioning the efficacy of the means which you employ4 ,if you examine the theory of the ,christian faith1 you will find that1 in every moral operation1 this concurrence of supernatural power with human agency forms an essential part of it4 ',man sows the seed of truth1 it is ,god who gives the increase4' ,as such a theory must tend to limit exertion1 and depress an ardent mind1 it strikes me that it is an ingenious invention to provide a pleasant solace in the season of disappointment1 which1 ,i believe1 has its periodical visitations in your ecclesiastic annals4 ,it has analogy in its favour4 ,we eat and drink to sustain life1 but the efficacy of the nourishment to sustain life depends on ,god4 ,the farmer casts the seed into the soil1 but it is ,god who causes it to grow and yield its increase4 ,his confidence in ,god gives a stimulus to his own exertions4 ,well1 ,i won't dispute this point with you2 but1 after all1 does it not tend to discourage your pious exertions1 when you believe that a successful issue is dependent on an influence which you cannot control1 and over which you have no power8 ,no4 ,it has a contrary effect1 as in the case of the husbandman4 ,we look upon ourselves as mere active instruments employed in accomplishing the ,divine purpose of grace and mercy in behalf of the perishing heathen2 and the established law of the economy of our faith and practice is embodied in the following record of inspiration3--',for as the rain cometh down1 and the snow from heaven1 and returneth not thither1 but watereth the earth1 and maketh it bring forth and bud1 that it may give seed to the sower1 and bread to the eater2 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth3 it shall not return unto me void2 but it shall accomplish that which ,i please1 and it shall prosper in the thing whereto ,i sent it4 ,for ye shall go out with joy1 and be led forth with peace3 the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing1 and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands' 7,isa4 lv4 #aj-ab74 ,i bow before such an ingenious theory of faith2 but still entertain my doubts4 ,patience must still hold on1 or you will abandon me in despair4 ,i will continue to hope1 even against hope2 because ,i know there is an unseen power which is capable of effecting such a transformation1 as ,i devoutly trust may yet be accomplished in you4 ,,the ,,effect ,,of ,a ,,word ,,spoken ,,in ,,season4 ,not long after ,i had returned home1 and was again busily engaged in my pastoral duties1 ,i received a letter1 informing me of the last illness and death of an esteemed friend and occasional correspondent1 ,mrs4 ,hastings4 ,her history is an interesting one1 and aptly illustrates the effect of a word spoken in season4 ,you must often1 says ,dr4 ,chalmers1 have been sensible1 in the course of your history1 how big1 and how important the consequences were1 that emanated from one event1 which in itself was insignificant--how on the slightest accidents the greatest interests were suspended--how1 moving apparently at random1 you met with people1 or with occasions1 that gave rise1 perhaps1 to far the most memorable passages in your life--how the very street in which you chanced to move1 brought you into contact with invitations and appointments1 or proposals of some sort1 which brought results of magnitude along with them2 insomuch that the colour and direction of your whole futurity have turned on what1 apart from this mighty bearing1 would have been the veriest trifle in the world4 ,a word--a thought--an unforeseen emotion--an event of paltriest dimensions in itself--may be the germ of an influence wide as a continent1 and lasting as a thousand years--may1 in fact1 change the current and complexion of a person's social history and character1 and lead to consequences which shall be durable as eternity4 ,many years ago1 ,i was unexpectedly called to ,london1 on a matter of great emergency4 ,my travelling companion1 for part of the way1 was a lady1 attired in deep mourning4 ,i endeavoured to draw her into conversation1 by referring to the beautiful scenery1 and other common-place topics1 but ,i could not succeed4 ,at length1 on seeing her drop a tear1 which she endeavoured to conceal1 ,i said1 ,this world is rightly denominated a valley of weeping4 ,yes1 ,sir1 it is1 replied the stranger4 ,i hope you will excuse my weakness4 ,i have sustained the greatest loss that can ever befall a woman4 ,i am a widow4 ,i had one of the best of husbands2 but cruel fate tore him from me1 even without permitting me to see him1 till his corpse was rudely exposed before me4 ,she then told me that her husband left her early one morning to go out shooting1 but1 on passing through a hedge1 it is supposed1 the trigger of his gun got entangled in the briars1 as he was found1 an hour after the report had been heard1 lying on his face1 with his gun by his side1 and his dogs crouching before and behind him1 as though their master was asleep4 ,since that fatal hour1 ,sir1 ,i have not had one pleasant feeling in my desolate heart2 and now ,i have left a spot on which nature has lavished her beauties1 to seek a tranquil death in some distant shade4 ,but1 ,madam1 do you never expect to see another happy day8 ,no1 ,sir1 never6 ,no1 never6 ,i have tried every expedient in my power1 but they have all failed4 ,i have been to ,bath1 to ,cheltenham1 to ,brighton1 and have travelled on the ,continent4 ,i have read the most popular novels of the ,english and the ,french schools2 but all is useless--mine is a hopeless case4 ,no1 ,madam1 it may not be hopeless4 ,i can direct you to a source of consolation which you have not yet thought of4 ,indeed1 ,sir2 then ,i'll try it4 ,i would freely part with wealth for mental ease2 for wealth1 without happiness1 is but an aggravation of misery4 ,i would recommend you1 ,madam1 to read the ,bible4 ,that book was composed for the express purpose of promoting our happiness2 and if you read it with attention1 and pray for wisdom to understand it1 and for a disposition to receive the truths which it reveals1 you will find that it will do you more essential good than all the expedients which you have been trying4 ,if1 ,sir1 ,i had not received a favourable impression of your benevolent disposition1 ,i really should imagine that you were disposed to turn my intense grief into ridicule4 ,read the ,bible6 ,why1 ,sir1 what is there in that obsolete book to interest me8 ,no1 ,madam2 the book is not obsolete1 and never will be1 as long as human misery abounds in the world4 ,that book has healed wounds as deep as yours1 and mitigated sorrows no less poignant2 and1 if you examine it1 you may find it as a well-spring of life to your withered happiness4 ,your advice1 ,sir1 is prompted1 ,i have no doubt1 by the kindest sympathy2 but my heart instinctively recoils from adopting it4 ,why1 ,madam8 ,because ,i cannot conceive how the reading of a book1 which ,i have always regarded as a collection of legendary tales1 can remove or assuage such sorrows as wring my spirit4 ,i have neither faith nor taste for such reading4 ,have you ever read the ,bible1 ,madam8 ,o no1 ,sir1 never6 ,i may have read some passages as a school lesson1 but ,i don't remember any4 ,my mother died when ,i was but a little girl4 ,from what ,i have heard an old servant say1 ,i believe that she was fond of the ,bible2 but my father abhorred it1 and he trained me to abhor it4 ,he used to call it the ,grand ,mogul of superstition4 ,its style of composition1 ,i have heard him say1 is as offensive to correct taste1 as its sentiments are revolting to a cultivated mind4 ,if you will permit me1 ,madam 7taking out my little pocket ,bible while speaking71 ,i will read you a few passages1 and then you can judge how far your belief is supported by evidence4 ,she bowed assent1 and ,i then read the twenty-third psalm4 ,i saw1 by the expression of her countenance1 that the chaste imagery of the psalmist pleased her2 but before we could interchange any remarks the horn blew1 and the mail suddenly stopped4 ,however1 when she alighted to step into the carriage which was in waiting to receive her1 she said1 in a tone of subdued seriousness1 ,i will follow your advice1 ,sir1 and read the ,bible to form my own judgment of its character and tendencies2 and if you will favour me with your card 7which ,i gave her7 ,i may1 possibly1 some day let you know the result1 especially if it should be what1 ,i do not doubt1 you wish it may be4 ,a long period had elapsed after this occurrence took place1 and it had nearly passed from my recollection1 when it was very unexpectedly revived by a letter from the lady4 ,the letter was subscribed ,susannah ,hastings1 and1 after calling to remembrance the circumstances in which we had met1 she proceeded to give me a general outline of her subsequent history1 accompanied by an interesting account of her severe mental conflicts in her spiritual inquiries1 and a pressing invitation to call and see her1 should ,i ever pay a visit to ,london1 where she then resided4 ,i acknowledged the receipt of the letter1 congratulated her on the great moral and spiritual change through which she had passed1 and stated that she might expect to see me very soon4 ,not long after that ,i had occasion to be in ,london4 ,within a few days after my arrival1 ,i called on her1 and had from her own lips a more detailed account of the process of her conversion from darkness to light1 than she had given me in her letter4 ,my visits were repeated during my sojourn there1 and since then we kept up an occasional correspondence4 ,from these two sources of information--her letters and her verbal communications--,i am able to give a finished sketch of her somewhat marvellous1 if not romantic history4 ,having entertained1 from early childhood1 a belief that the ,bible was a very objectionable book1 both in point of sentiment and style of composition1 she says1 in her first letter1 ,i was not only surprised but delighted1 by your reading the twenty-third psalm4 ,i saw the rural scene vividly depicted2 the sheep feeding in the green meadows1 while the shepherd was reclining on the bank of the gently flowing stream1 watching the glad movements of the sportive lambs1 as the evening sun glided in noiseless splendour through the sky4 ,i at once resolved to purchase a ,bible1 thinking1 then1 that it was merely a work of the imagination--an antique relic of some early poetic age4 ,but on her arrival in ,london1 she was prevented from doing this so soon as she intended1 in consequence of the assiduous attentions of her friends1 who were ceaseless in their efforts to raise her drooping spirits2 naturally thinking that1 if they could succeed in doing so1 she would get reconciled to her fate1 and again enjoy life4 ,hence she was lured from one gay scene to another still more exciting1 and every expedient was adopted which ingenuity could devise1 to amuse and gratify her4 ,but she soon found1 that neither the opera1 nor the theatre1 nor the fascinations of private parties1 could assuage the tumultuous agitations of her heart4 ,i moved amongst them1 she said1 more like an automaton than a living being who felt any pleasure in existence4 ,an incident now occurred1 that led her into a new train of thought1 which proved the beginning of an eventful issue in the history of her life4 ,on passing her bookseller's1 she looked in1 to inquire about a new novel1 which she had seen announced as just issued from the press4 ,there she saw on the counter a small ,bible1 which brought our conversation in the stage coach to her remembrance1 and she purchased it4 ,in her first letter1 she says1 ,i soon found the twenty-third psalm1 and as ,i re-perused it1 its poetic imagery appeared to my mind more beautiful than ever4 ,i then turned to ,psalm ciii41 which ,i read with more solemnity of feeling4 ,it made me think of myself1 and it brought me imperceptibly into contact with ,god4 ,i was delighted by his assumption of the paternal character4 ,this was the first time in my life ,i felt any force1 or perceived any intelligible meaning1 in the petition in the ,lord's ,prayer--,our ,father1 who art in heaven2 but yet my perceptions of its meaning were very vague and indefinite4 ,they did not excite any emotions of love1 or of gratitude1 or filial trust2 but they left a strong impression on my mind4 ,it was a strange and startling impression1 that1 though an inhabitant of earth1 ,i was moving towards another world4 ,i am sure ,i had not thought so much about ,god or another world all my life1 as ,i thought that night1 and particularly when my head was on my pillow4 ,my day-thoughts came up in my dreams1 and in a more lucid form1 and produced a more powerful effect4 ,when ,i awoke in the morning1 ,i felt a strange sensation of mental ease1 which greatly astonished me1 as ,i knew not by what cause it had been produced4 ,the agitating forces of bitter grief and sullen discontent were in a state of quietude2 and though not really happy1 yet my spirits were buoyant1 rising at times to cheerfulness4 ,at this juncture she had to fulfil a long-standing engagement--to accompany a party of friends on a tour to the north2 and though she endeavoured to excuse herself1 yet she felt compelled to yield1 as the excursion had been planned principally on her account4 ,when alluding to this excursion1 at my first interview with her1 she said3--,at an earlier period of my life1 ,i should have been delighted1 when wandering through the ,trosachs or sailing on ,lochlomond1 when gazing on the wonders of ,staffa or surveying the magnificent scene from the top of ,goatfell2 but my mental susceptibilities were unstrung1 and ,i felt no response to the scenes of beauty and grandeur which ,i beheld4 ,but never shall ,i forget the little unobtrusive inn at ,brodick1 nor my neat little bed-room there1 as ,i there saw a ,bible1 the first ,i had seen since ,i left home4 ,i sat me down1 and1 in addition to the two psalms that had become favourites with me1 ,i read ,psalm cvii41 which greatly excited me1 as it revived the fearful emotions of the preceding day1 when1 on nearing ,arran1 we had to encounter a terrific storm4 ,on her return home1 she resumed her reading of the ,scriptures1 and passed from the ,psalms to the ,prophecies of ,isaiah4 ,the bold imagery of the prophet delighted her1 but she could not trace its application1 or its meaning2 and1 in reference to his sixth chapter1 she was greatly perplexed to decide whether it was a poetical fiction1 or a real description of heaven4 ,my first course of reading1 she says in her letter1 left an impression on my mind that we have not1 in any of the walks of literature1 such a class of men as the writers of the ,bible4 ,these men possess some rare endowments2 they appear to know more about ,god and another world than any other writers whose works ,i have ever read4 ,there is a majestic simplicity1 and sublime grandeur1 in all their statements and descriptions of the unknown world1 and its great spirits4 ,having no one to guide her in her study of the ,scriptures1 her reading was very desultory2 she passed from one book to another in great mental perplexity1 and could not discover any obvious connection between them1 resembling the continuity preserved in other works with which she was familiar4 ,at length she turned to ,paul's ,epistles1 but they were dark and mystical1 and rather repulsive to her taste1 being so unlike the poetic and the prophetic books2 to her mind they presented no sublimity or beauty2 and yet she admitted1 it was a strange repulsiveness--it gave her no offence1 or even distaste to the ,bible4 ,i now1 she adds1 began reading the ,gospels4 ,they were more intelligible4 ,the narratives pleased me4 ,i was delighted with some of the scenes1 particularly the ,prodigal ,son1 and the ,pharisee and ,publican in the ,temple4 ,the tales interested me2 they seemed to wear the air of truthfulness1 and yet at times ,i thought them inventions4 ,the history of ,jesus ,christ very soon took a strong hold of my imagination1 and ,i soon began to admire the fine blending of majesty and meekness1 of dignity and tenderness1 of lofty bearing1 which no insults could disturb1 and sweet compassion1 which his character so broadly exhibits4 ,yes1 ,i often said1 he is a real person1 for no human genius could invent such a person1 or draw such a character4 ,i followed him through the dark period of his agonizing sufferings1 from his prostration in the garden to ,calvary1 where he was crucified4 ,i wept when ,i saw him on the cross4 ,in one of the interviews ,i had with her1 she said1 that two things both surprised and perplexed her4 ,she was at a loss to conceive the reason why his countrymen treated ,jesus ,christ with so much unkindness and cruelty1 when he was such an extraordinary benefactor1 and so benevolent--going about doing them good1 healing their sick1 restoring their injured senses of sight and hearing1 and even raising their dead4 ,the other thing that surprised and perplexed her was1 that he should continue to live amongst them1 when they were so rude in their manners1 and insolent in their speech1 and when he knew they were often plotting to take away his life4 ,why did he not leave them1 and go and live amongst some more humane and generous people1 who would return such a style of treatment by courtesy and gratitude8 ,the more she thought of these things1 the more she was perplexed4 ,she felt so bewildered1 that she put her ,bible in her book-case1 under an impression she should never be able to understand it4 ,and yet she could not let it remain there long4 ,her curiosity was too much excited1 and her self-imposed prohibition tended to increase her eager solicitude to make out the meaning of what she read4 ,hence she resumed her reading exercise2 and on going through the ,gospel of ,john very carefully1 a ray of light fell on one fact in the history of ,jesus ,christ1 which1 while it increased her perplexity1 opened the way towards a discovery to be made in some future stages of her inquiry4 ,the fact was this3 she perceived that1 when in conversation with his disciples1 he occasionally made emphatic allusions to the necessity of his death4 ,this she thought very strange1 as it was a case without a parallel within the compass of her reading4 ,however1 it fixed her attention2 and1 on a more minute examination1 she perceived that he professed to come from heaven1 and avowed his intention of returning thither2 and that he spoke of dying1 as though he had a stronger interest in death than in life1 foretelling to his disciples the agonizing death he was to die 7,matt4 xx4 #ag-ai74 ,his not recoiling from such a death1 and doing everything in his power to escape it1 led her to think that he was some incarnate being of a peculiar order1 who had some special mission to fulfil1 and yet she could not imagine what that mission could be--a mission1 depending for its accomplishment on death1 rather than on life1 appeared to her a mystery too profound for human ingenuity to unravel4 ,at length1 and ,i cannot do better than quote from her letter1 she says1 a thought struck me and ,i acted on it1 and the labour of doing so produced a momentary suspension of my oppressive anxiety4 ,i arranged1 as well as ,i could1 some of the passages which appeared to assign the reasons for ,christ's death1 to which he often alluded1 particularly the following3--',even as the ,son of man came not to be ministered unto1 but to minister1 and to give his life a ransom for many' 7,matt4 xx4 #bh74 ',i am the good shepherd3 the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep4' ',as the ,father knoweth me1 even so know ,i the ,father3 and ,i lay down my life for the sheep4' ',therefore doth my ,father love me1 because ,i lay down my life1 that ,i might take it again4' ',no man taketh it from me1 but ,i lay it down of myself4 ,i have power to lay it down1 and ,i have power to take it again4 ,this commandment have ,i received of my ,father' 7,john x4 #aa1 #ae1 #ag1 #ah74 ,i endeavoured to work out an intelligible meaning from these passages1 but ,i could not4 ,a mysticism enveloped them which ,i could not penetrate4 ,i wanted a living expositor4 ,i longed for an interview with you1 and more than once half-resolved to come and see you1 as1 though you were a stranger1 ,i felt you were a friend1 and ,i knew no other whom ,i could consult4 ,i had no book in my library which gave me any help1 and ,i knew not what book to inquire for1 if ,i applied to my bookseller4 ,no language can depict the excited state of my heart4 ,i felt intuitively assured there was some latent meaning in these mysterious sayings of ,jesus ,christ1 or he would not have uttered them4 ,he was too wise and too good to utter what was false or foolish4 ,but ,i could not trace out the clue of discovery4 ,this at times repulsed me1 but1 on cool reflection1 it appeared like a silent proof that the ,bible was not a book of human invention1 as1 in that case1 ,i thought1 by dint of application1 ,i should be able to decipher its meaning4 ,one thing now surprises me1 and that is1 that1 while cherishing the idea that the ,bible was a ,divine book1 rather than a human one1 ,i never thought of lifting up my heart in prayer to ,god for wisdom and grace to understand it4 ,in this state of painful bewilderment1 depressed by repeated failures in her efforts to acquire the knowledge which she deemed essential to her happiness1 yet resolutely determined to prosecute her inquiries1 she wrote to her uncle1 a clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 stating her case1 with its painful perplexities1 and desiring his sympathy and advice4 ,he replied1 expressing some surprise at the receipt of such a letter1 and intimating his apprehension that she had been hearing some methodistical or evangelical preaching1 which he denounced as a fatal heresy1 more calculated to drive people into a state of derangement1 than to advance them in virtue or in happiness4 ,he assured her that1 as she had been1 in baptism1 made a member of ,christ1 a child of ,god1 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven1 she need not cherish any anxieties about her spiritual safety or final salvation4 ,he advised her to banish the absurd chimras1 which were disquieting her1 and go and take the sacrament1 which1 he said1 was the spiritual nourishment which ,almighty ,god had provided to sustain the inner life of the soul2 and1 in addition1 he recommended her to mingle rather more in the circles of gaiety1 so as to drive away her melancholy ideas4 ,this letter was both mystical and unsatisfactory4 ,it contradicted her experience1 and she felt astonished that a clergyman should advise her to go more frequently into the gay world4 ,i knew1 she said1 that my own ideas were not fanciful1 but the vague conceptions of some great truths of the ,bible2 and ,i felt as unable to banish them from my heart1 as a person1 when asleep1 feels unable to banish the dreams which disquiet him4 ,however1 she decided on joining in the communion2 and being then at ,bath1 away from all her gay friends1 she went to church1 and took the sacrament--a thing she had never done before4 ,but it had no tranquillizing effect2 indeed1 it increased her perplexity1 and for awhile made her think that her case was a hopeless one1 and that it would be better for her to abandon all further solicitude and inquiries1 than to cherish and prosecute them4 ,but she could not bring herself to such a decision2 and the more she laboured to do so1 the more anxious she became to get the clue of discovery1 which she thought was to be found somewhere4 ,in this state of intense anxiety and great depression1 she returned to her town residence4 ,her friends were more assiduous to please than ever2 but some were mortified1 and others were offended1 because she would not again enter into the gay scenes and habits of former times2 occasionally they hinted their apprehensions that she would soon turn an ,evangelical1 and become as scrupulous and devout as any of the sect4 ,these sarcasms1 in conjunction with her uncle's letter1 suggested to her the idea of going to some church1 where an evangelical minister did duty1 thinking it possible that he might give her the explanation she so much desired2 but she long hesitated about doing this1 as she had not gone to any place of public worship for many years1 with the exception of the time when she took the sacrament at ,bath4 ,her desire at length became so strong1 that one ,sunday morning she left home1 not knowing where to go2 but1 on passing along the street1 she saw some respectable and sedate-looking people going into a church1 whither she followed them4 ,this church was a ,dissenting chapel1 which1 she said1 she should not have entered if she had known it1 as she had been accustomed to hear ,dissenters spoken of as an uneducated and uncouth people4 ,she felt a strange sensation on seeing the clergyman ascend the pulpit in a plain black coat1 instead of going into the reading-desk in a white surplice2 but the soft melody of the singing1 and the emphatic solemnity of his style of reading the ,scriptures1 calmed her momentary agitation1 and she listened to his prayer with devout seriousness4 ,this was the first extempore prayer she had ever heard2 and when speaking of it1 in one of our interviews1 she remarked that1 in one particular1 it bore a resemblance to her ,bible reading--parts were plain and intelligible1 and parts were under a veil of mysteriousness4 ,the minister seemed to know the desires and emotions that were stirring within her1 and he expressed them with so much accuracy and force1 that it greatly astonished her4 ,had ,i confessed to him1 she remarked1 he could not have had a more perfect knowledge of what was passing in my mind4 ,when ,god has any special design to accomplish1 we may often trace the harmonious conjunction of the various agents and agencies which he employs in effecting it4 ,the ,ethiopian eunuch was sitting in his chariot1 reading the prophet ,esaias1 when ,philip1 under a ,divine impulse1 went and seated himself by his side4 ,the passage he was reading was veiled in darkness1 and he asked for an explanation1 which was immediately given1 understood1 and felt2 the moral transformation took place by the concurring action of ,divine power2 he avowed his newly originated faith2 was baptized1 and went on his way rejoicing--the visible agent of the great transaction disappearing1 that the tribute of adoring gratitude might be offered up exclusively to the ,god of all grace4 ,we pass from this wondrous scene to another1 stamped with the same moral insignia1 though not quite so obviously conspicuous4 ,here is a person of superior intelligence1 who has long been labouring1 by her own unaided reason1 to decipher the hidden mysteries of the truth as it is in ,jesus1 and labouring in vain4 ,she leaves her own home on a ,sabbath morning in quest of a living expositor1 yet not knowing where to find one4 ,an unseen hand guides her to a chapel1 which she would have disdained to enter had she known its denominational character4 ,her latent prejudices spring up into powerful action when she observes a slight deviation in the order of the service from that with which her eye was once familiar2 and yet they are overcome by a devotional exercise1 which surprised her by its novelty1 while it strongly interested her by its appropriateness4 ,the question she left home to have solved is a simple1 yet a very important one2 and on its solution her happiness is dependent4 ,the second hymn is sung4 ,the minister rises in his pulpit2 his ,bible is open before him1 and1 after a short pause1 he announces his text1 ,and ,i1 if ,i be lifted up from the earth1 will draw all men unto me4 ,this he said1 signifying what death he should die 7,john xii4 #cb1 #cc74 ,the sketch he gives of the crucifixion is thrilling2 and many weep while he presents to their view the chief actors who performed their parts on this tragical occasion4 ,mrs4 ,hastings also weeps4 ,the preacher now passes from description to explanation2 from a detailed statement of facts1 to an elucidation of the design for which the ,son of ,god groaned1 and bled1 and died4 ,she listens with breathless attention1 as he unravels the thread of mystery which ran through all the passages of the ,bible which she had arranged and studied1 without perceiving their import4 ,i felt1 she said1 intuitively assured1 when he entered on this part of his subject1 that the light of explanation was coming2 and ,i was intensely eager to catch every utterance4 ,i now perceived that the death of ,jesus ,christ was a voluntary ransom1 to redeem and to save the lost and the guilty4 ,the first part of his sermon awakened my sympathy2 the latter part touched another chord of my heart4 ,i wept again2 but from a different cause4 ,my sins made me weep2 and the love of ,christ in dying to expiate them1 made me weep--and ,i now wept as ,i had never wept before4 ,it was with some difficulty ,i could refrain weeping1 even when the clergyman had finished his sermon1 which lasted rather more than an hour4 ,i could have listened to him much longer4 ,i never knew time go so rapidly4 ,i left the hallowed place with reluctance1 thinking1 as ,i paced back to my home1 that ,i was now entering as into a new world of existence1 abounding with mystic1 yet intelligible wonders4 ,i was in a tumult of emotion1 yet it was a calm ecstasy of feeling4 ,i clasped my ,bible1 and pressed it to my bosom4 ,i thought of your words1 which ,i never forgot1 though1 when ,i first heard them1 they sounded in my ear as the mockery of grief3--',that book has healed wounds as deep as yours2 and if you examine it1 you will find it a well-spring of life to your withered happiness4' ,i now can attest the truth of your declaration4 ,i have tasted its sweet waters2 they are indeed the waters of life4 ,none other so sweet or powerful4 ,i can now respond to the truthfulness of the following paraphrase of ,dr4 ,watts1 whom ,i now prefer to ,byron or ,wordsworth--he is the poet of the heart weighed down by sorrow and anxiety3-- ',lord1 ,i have made thy word my choice1 ,my lasting heritage3 ,there shall my noblest powers rejoice1 ,my warmest thoughts engage4 ',the best relief that mourners have1 ,it makes our sorrows bless'd3 ,our fairest hopes beyond the grave1 ,and our eternal rest4' ,i was happy to find that she had withdrawn from the gay circles of fashion1 and1 while she kept up a partial intimacy with some of her former associates1 her spirit and example bore a testimony against their vain and ensnaring pursuits4 ,she had put on a religious profession1 and felt it to be an honour to obtain membership with the church of which her spiritual counsellor and guide was the pastor4 ,this gave great offence to her clerical uncle1 and also to some of her other relatives who resided in ,london1 but she was too independent in spirit to submit to the arbitrary control of those who were the secret enemies of the cross of ,christ2 and though she did not court reproach as a desirable test of principle1 yet she gave proof1 by her steadfastness in the faith1 and the amiable placidity of her temper1 that it possessed no power to warp her judgment or disturb her peace4 ,she was too retiring in her habits to take an active part in any of the public institutions connected with the church and congregation of which she was a member1 but she became a generous contributor to their funds1 doing good and working righteousness1 not desiring to be seen of men--a devout woman1 who feared ,god above many4 ,she might again and again have changed her widowed state1 and with flattering prospect of distinction and happiness1 but she had fully made up her mind1 that she would never put off the weeds of widowhood till the set time came when she was to pass away from earth1 to be arrayed in the vestments of the heavenly world4 ,she cherished through every stage of life the memory of her dear departed husband with an intensity of feeling which appeared to increase as she advanced in years4 ,to the poor of the household of faith she was a warm-hearted and liberal benefactor2 in no exercise did she take more delight than in visiting the sick and afflicted2 and though a ,dissenter1 she was free from bigotry and prejudice1 and could say1 with the apostle1 ,grace be with all them that love our ,lord ,jesus ,christ in sincerity4 ,amen 7,eph4 vi4 #bd74 ,our correspondence was kept up for a number of years1 and in one of her last letters she says3--,i am truly thankful to ,god that he gave me grace to withdraw from the gay world4 ,it is altogether a gorgeous sham--a fascinating delusion2 felt as such even by those who are spell-bound by its charms4 ,i often look back1 dear ,sir1 with astonishment and gratitude1 to our casual meeting in the stage coach1 which has proved to me the most eventful and the most important occurrence of my life4 ,it has been the introduction of a new era in my history4 ,the mystery of my irreparable loss is now explained4 ,the husband of my devoted attachment was smitten1 and died4 ,he was taken from me without my being permitted to say farewell1 and1 even to this hour1 ,i feel a bitter pang when ,i think of his melancholy end4 ,had he been spared to feel what ,i have felt of spiritual sorrow1 and of spiritual consolation and hope1 we should have lived in the sweet anticipations of eternal life4 ,i pine1 but ,i dare not murmur4 ,the past is the fearful thunder-storm of desolation1 from which1 praise be to ,god1 ,i have now emerged1 and enjoy the brightness and calm of a serene and unclouded sky4 ,when1 my dear ,sir1 ,i contrast1 as ,i often do1 my present1 with my former self--my present1 with my former tastes--my present1 with my former habits1 and my present bright prospects of immortality with my former prospects1 overshadowed by the deep gloom of ceaseless sorrow--,i appear a wonder to myself4 ,i am the same person ,i was when ,i repelled your advice to read the ,bible1 thinking it a piece of wild fanaticism2 but how changed am ,i now in heart and feeling--become1 ,i trust1 a new creature in ,christ ,jesus4 ,psalm ciii4 #a-e4 ,my friend who announced to me the decease of ,mrs4 ,hastings1 informed me that her preceding illness was not of long duration1 nor was it attended by any severe physical sufferings4 ,during its continuance1 her mind was kept in perfect peace2 and at times1 she felt a joy unspeakable in anticipation of beholding the ,son of ,god1 who was crucified on ,calvary1 seated on his celestial throne2 and of mingling with the countless myriads1 in offering their adorations and praises4 ,her last intelligible utterance was1 ,lord ,jesus1 receive my spirit2 and1 after a slight convulsive struggle1 she cast one look on the friend standing by her side1 and then expired4 ,,the ,,family ,,of ,,the ,,holmes4 ,on my return one afternoon from a round of pastoral visits1 ,i was informed that a gentleman was waiting to see me2 and ,i received a most agreeable surprise in finding that it was no other than ,mr4 ,holmes1 an old and much valued friend1 and whose eldest daughter ,louisa has already been casually mentioned as a friend and correspondent of ,miss ,roscoe4#ae ,he informed me that he had just left his family at ,dawlish1 their favourite summer resort1 where they had been rusticating for nearly two months1 and had come to transact some business in my neighbourhood4 ,i pressed him to remain a few days with me1 but he would consent to stay only one night1 as he had already been occupied a longer time than he expected4 ,before leaving1 he extorted a promise from me that1 as soon as my avocations permitted it1 ,i would pay him a visit at the ,elms1 his seat near ,london1 whither he and his family expected to return in the end of the summer4 #ae ,vol4 i4 page #bcb4 ,the history of ,mr4 ,holmes' career in life is an interesting one1 and furnishes a striking example of those gradual elevations from poverty and obscurity to affluence and an honoured position in the world1 which are1 perhaps1 more frequently to be met with in the ranks of ,english society than in those of any other country4 ,i will here give some account of it1 as exhibiting an instructive example of persevering industry and upright conduct1 crowned by honour and success4 ,mr4 ,holmes was the second son of a respectable farmer1 who rented a small estate in the county of ,warwick4 ,when a little boy he was very inquisitive1 fond of mixing with his seniors and superiors1 from whom he gained much information2 and though there was no good school in the neighbourhood1 yet1 by the assistance of the kind and amiable ,vicar of the parish1 he acquired the rudiments of a useful education4 ,that leisure time which other children usually devote to play1 he gave to reading and study1 and before he was fourteen1 he was a very good accountant4 ,he happened1 when about nine years old1 to read the popular story of ,whittington and his ,cat1 and such was the deep impression it made on his mind1 that it became the perpetual subject of his conversation2 and he would often amuse the other members of the family with visionary tales of his future eminence4 ,he would say to his brothers1 ,i will leave you to feed cows1 and pigs1 and horses1 and turn up the clods of the field2 but when ,i grow up1 ,i will go to ,london1 and see if ,i cannot become as great a man as ,whittington4 ,so completely had this passion gained an ascendency over him1 that he would often walk miles to see the mail coach pass along the road towards the far-famed city2 and after listening to the sound of the horn1 with an ecstasy of delight which no other notes could inspire1 he would return home to talk and to dream of his future adventures4 ,when about the age of fifteen1 his father died1 leaving a large family unprovided for2 and as ,henry could not think of remaining any longer at home1 his mother gave him a guinea and a few shillings1 and he set off to seek his fortune4 ,his youthful ardour kindled into rapture when he first saw the distant dome of ,st4 ,paul's towering above the buildings and smoke of the wondrous metropolis4 ,though he occasionally shed a tear of affection at the remembrance of his beloved relatives in his native village1 yet he was so absorbed in the visions of his own fancy1 that he was rarely depressed4 ,several days were spent in fruitless efforts to obtain a situation--his few shillings were expended1 and the shadows of another night were deepening into darkness1 when he sat down on the stone steps in front of a gentleman's house to rest himself4 ,while he sat there ruminating over the scenes of his boyhood1 and pleasing himself with the hopes of brighter and better days1 a gentleman in a gig drove up to the door2 and as he was getting out1 ,henry rose and offered his assistance by holding the horse4 ,the quickness of his movements1 and the pleasing smile on his fine ruddy countenance1 attracted the notice of ,mr4 ,lucas1 who asked him his name and place of residence4 ,my name1 ,sir1 is ,henry ,holmes1 he replied2 ,i was born in the county of ,warwick2 my father was a farmer1 and he is just dead4 ,i did not like to stay at home to be a burden to my mother1 who has a large family to bring up1 so ,i left home last ,monday1 to see if ,i could get a place of work in ,london2 and if you will hire me1 ,sir1 ,i will try to please you4 ,this simple1 artless tale made its way to the heart of ,mr4 ,lucas1 who said1 ,how long have you been in ,london8 ,three days1 ,sir1 but ,i have not been able to get any work4 ,have you any money8 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i have a guinea which mother gave me when ,i left home1 but ,i am afraid to change it1 for if ,i do1 all my money may soon be gone4 ,this circumstance gave ,mr4 ,lucas such a high opinion of ,henry's carefulness of disposition1 that he at once resolved to take him into his service4 ,having obtained his mother's address1 he wrote to her and also to the ,vicar of the parish4 ,in a few days he received an answer which confirmed the truth of the statement of the adventurous youth1 and at the same time bore honourable testimony to his fidelity and industry4 ,mr4 ,lucas was a grocer1 who lived in ,fore ,street1 and had acquired a handsome fortune by his trade4 ,like most wealthy citizens1 he had his country-house1 where he resided during the summer months1 coming to business in the morning and returning in the evening4 ,as his groom had just left him1 the thought struck him that this country lad might very well supply his place2 and ,henry rejoiced to enter on his new employment4 ,he had to clean the horse and gig1 the knives and shoes1 and look after some choice poultry2 and such was the attention he paid to his work1 and the amiability of his disposition1 that he soon became a favourite with the whole family4 ,on their return to town for the winter he accompanied them2 and as he possessed talents which fitted him for a higher situation1 his master took him into the shop1 where he distinguished himself by his close attention to business4 ,no one was cleaner in his person1 or neater in his dress2 no one was more obliging in his disposition2 the rusticity of his appearance soon wore off2 his punctuality and habit of despatch became proverbial2 and though his temper was hasty and irritable1 yet he kept it in a state of subjection1 and uniformly displayed a union of excellencies1 which is but rarely found in so young a person4 ,such is the precarious tenure on which men hold their reputation under the mysterious dispensations of ,providence1 that it is often endangered no less by their virtues than their vices2 and those who at one period are esteemed and admired by the wise and the good1 are at another plunged into the depth of misery by the malignant cruelty of the wicked4 ,thus it was with ,henry4 ,there were two persons belonging to the establishment1 his seniors in age1 and superiors in rank1 who were jealous of him2 and as they could not shake the stability of his character by any just accusations1 they resolved to destroy it by artifice4 ,one of them who had the care of the till-drawer complained for several succeeding evenings of having missed some money1 and it was arranged that some marked money should be put into the drawer4 ,this was done2 at nine o'clock the money was counted1 and the sum of five shillings and sixpence was missing4 ,this fact was immediately communicated to ,mr4 ,lucas1 who called all the servants into the counting-house1 and proposed that each one should have his person and his boxes searched1 without being permitted to leave the room4 ,to this proposal they all assented2 and lots were drawn to determine the exact order in which the search should be made4 ,the first name drawn was the head-shopman1 who immediately gave up all his keys to ,mr4 ,lucas1 and underwent the strictest examination1 but he was pronounced innocent2 the second was the man who had the care of the till1 and he also was pronounced innocent2 the third was ,henry ,holmes1 who1 after being searched1 said1 ,my box1 ,sir1 is not locked4 ,mr4 ,lucas then quitted the room to search it1 and on his return1 looking steadfastly in ,henry's face1 said1 ,i certainly did not suspect you1 ,henry1 but ,i have found the money in your box 7producing it71 and as you have given me such a proof of your ingratitude and perfidy1 you shall leave my house to-morrow morning4 ,sir1 replied ,henry in a firm tone1 ,i am innocent4 ,some one has placed the money in my box which might be very easily done1 as ,i scarcely ever lock it4 ,i have suspected you for a long time1 said one of the shopmen2 for no one is so likely to be guilty of fraud1 as he who overacts the part of virtue4 ,mr4 ,lucas now withdrew into the parlour1 when he related the whole circumstances1 and as soon as ,mrs4 ,lucas heard the accusation of the shopman1 she said1 ,henry is innocent4 ,he is the victim of another's treachery1 and some plan must be adopted to detect the culprit4 ,in my opinion the accuser is the guilty party1 or at least an accomplice4 ,it is fair to presume that he who stole the last sum1 stole the preceding sums that have been lost4 ,how then will you account for finding only the five shillings and sixpence8 ,it is impossible1 said ,miss ,lucas1 that ,henry can be the thief4 ,we never lost anything when he was with us in the country1 and we know that he does not go out to places of amusement like the others1 and therefore he is under less temptation to extravagance than they are4 ,there is a plot to effect his ruin1 which ,i hope and trust will be discovered4 ,while they were talking1 the housemaid entered the parlour1 and said1 that she had just overheard the two young men talking together on the subject1 and she distinctly heard one say1 ,it was well planned1 and well executed1 and now we shall get rid of him4 ,she was requested to take no notice of what she had heard1 but to act as though she really believed that ,henry was guilty4 ,as these two young men slept together1 ,mr4 ,lucas removed some tea chests which stood against a thin partition that separated their bedroom from an upper warehouse1 and having placed himself near an aperture in one of the boards1 he waited till they retired to rest4 ,having1 from their conversation1 received a full conviction of their guilt1 he withdrew1 and informed his wife and daughter that he was perfectly satisfied of ,henry's innocence4 ,the next morning he rose rather earlier than usual1 and before the porter had opened the shop1 he summoned all the shopmen into his presence1 and charged these two men1 first1 with the crime of stealing the money1 and then with the still baser crime of attempting to involve an innocent person in their guilt4 ,this unexpected charge--the indignant firmness with which it was brought--the involuntary movement of ,henry1 who came forward to look his accusers in the face1 confounded and abashed them2 and though each made some faint efforts to deny it1 yet when ,mr4 ,lucas repeated the conversation which he had overheard the preceding night1 and threatened that if they did not immediately acknowledge their guilt1 and solicit ,henry's forgiveness1 he would send for the police1 they made a full confession1 and implored mercy in the most suppliant manner4 ,henry at once forgave them1 and interceded for them2 but ,mr4 ,lucas would not consent that such men should remain in his service1 and having paid them their arrears of wages1 he discharged them4 ,this plot1 which was laid to effect ,henry's ruin1 led to his advancement1 and he now rose rapidly1 step after step1 till he became the manager of ,mr4 ,lucas' establishment4 ,we often see tradesmen1 when they have amassed a large fortune1 affecting contempt for the rank of life in which they have moved1 discovering at the same time a strong anxiety that their children1 especially their daughters1 should form alliances with those who move in the higher and more exalted circles of society4 ,hence they will often sacrifice a daughter at the shrine of their vanity1 and give a large portion of the wealth which their industry has accumulated1 to some titled pauper1 whose extravagance first reduces her to beggary1 and whose unkindness at length breaks her heart4 ,but ,mr4 ,lucas was a wise man4 ,he never rose in feeling or in expectation above the level of his station4 ,he had but one child1 and he wished to see her happy2 and when he perceived that a mutual regard subsisted between her and ,henry1 he expressed his entire approbation1 and they were married4 ,on this event taking place1 ,mr4 ,lucas retired from business1 and at his decease1 which happened about twelve months after that of his wife1 he left the greater part of his property to ,mr4 ,holmes4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,conspiracy ,,defeated4 ,vol4 ii4 page #abh4 ,mr4 ,holmes1 who had thus risen1 by the ,divine blessing on his industry1 from a humble situation to a position of wealth and eminence1 would often allude in conversation to his original condition1 and exhibit his guinea as a proud memorial of his former poverty2--thus rebuking1 by his example1 the pride of many a modern ,croesus1 who is no less anxious to conceal from others his origin1 than to make an ostentatious display of his wealth4 ,he had a large family1 and as he took considerable pains with the education of his children1 and set before them an example worthy of their imitation1 he had the pleasure of seeing them growing up1 esteemed and respected1 bidding fair to be the ornaments of a future generation4 ,his two eldest sons were in partnership with him1 his youngest was studying medicine1 one daughter was married to a country gentleman in ,warwickshire1 and three were still living with him4 ,he had long resisted the importunity of his children to take some country residence1 that they might enjoy an occasional retreat from the noise1 and smoke1 and bustle of the city2 but when his wife urged the measure1 it was at once adopted1 as he was no less anxious to gratify her wishes than she was to avoid the indulgence of unsuitable gratifications4 ,after many unsuccessful efforts to obtain an eligible residence1 he purchased a small estate about seven miles from ,london1 where he erected a neat and commodious mansion2 and as his two sons were now able to manage his business1 he retired from the more active and laborious duties of it1 to spend the evening of his days amidst rural scenes1 with which his earliest and deepest impressions were associated4 ,having been accustomed1 when a child1 to attend his parish church on the ,sabbath1 he regularly observed the practice through life2 and though for many years he had no clear perceptions of the nature or the design of the gospel1 yet soon after the settlement of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newton at ,st4 ,mary ,woolnoth1 he began to feel its enlightening and purifying influence4 ,at first he disliked his style of preaching1 and the pride of his heart rose up against that plan of salvation which requires the man of virtue to implore mercy in terms as humiliating as those which the chief of sinners employ2 but as his knowledge increased1 his prejudices gradually subsided1 and though he could not remember any specific time when the great moral change was effected1 by which he passed from death unto life1 yet he uniformly spoke of it as the most important and blissful event of his history4 ,the renovation which the grace of ,god produces in the human character1 often leaves the ruling passion to retain its ascendency1 while it gives it a new direction2 and he who undergoes it1 usually displays the same bold decision or hesitating precaution--the same spirit of active enterprise or prudent consideration1 in his religious profession1 that he has been accustomed to display in the avocations of everyday life4 ,but on some occasions it is just the reverse2 and we see the avowed infidel1 when convinced of the truth of the gospel1 halting between two opinions--the active tradesman1 who keeps the machinery of a large and complicated concern in a brisk and constant motion1 a lukewarm ,christian--and the man who could face1 without flinching1 the most appalling dangers1 discover a shrinking timidity when the obligations to a life of practical devotedness to ,god are pressed upon his attention4 ,to account for such a moral phenomenon would be absolutely impossible1 unless we advert to the powerful influence which sensible objects are known to possess over the mind1 especially during that period in the religious experience of a ,christian when his faith in the ,divine testimony is weak and defective2 but as that great moral principle increases in strength and animation1 the natural dispositions recover their native tone and vigour--the mind no more vacillates--but rising to a full conviction of the superior value of the things which are unseen and eternal1 gives to them its supreme attention and affection4 ,mr4 ,holmes felt the transforming power of the truth soon after his marriage1 which led him to the adoption of religious habits and customs2 but he was too deeply involved in the cares and perplexities of business to become a very zealous and public-spirited ,christian4 ,his moral character was unimpeachable1 and he brought the great principles of religion to regulate his conduct in the ordinary affairs of life2 but his heart was too much in the world--the fervour of his devotional spirit bore no just proportion to his diligence in business1 and he was less anxious for the higher attainments of faith than for the acquisition of wealth4 ,he regularly attended the ministry of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newton on the ,sabbath2 but that ministry was more frequently the word of reproof than consolation2 and though the hope of a blissful immortality would sometimes dawn upon him1 yet it shone with too feeble a ray to afford him entire satisfaction2 as it is wisely ordained that a full assurance of eternal life shall be imparted only to those who give diligence to make their calling and election sure4 ,mrs4 ,holmes was certainly more devout than her husband1 and devoted a larger proportion of her time to reading and meditation2 but her associations were unfavourable to the growth of her piety1 which1 though sincere1 was too much tinctured with superstition4 ,she thought more of her duties than her privileges--of her defects than of ,him who came to repair them--placed more dependence for consolation and hope on prayer and watchfulness than on the blood of sprinkling2 and1 while she did not doubt the truth of the promises1 she uniformly gave a more implicit assent to the threatenings of the sacred volume4 ,she was rather a disciple of the mortified ,baptist than of the merciful ,redeemer4 ,her devotions were sincere and fervent1 but not elevating4 ,they consisted much in contrition1 but little in praise--much in sorrow for sin1 but little in hope of its pardon4 ,she did not sufficiently cast her confidence on the great ,propitiation4 ,she firmly believed all that the ,saviour had done and suffered for sinners1 but she could not claim for her own enjoyment the benefits resulting from his mission and death4 ,while she was painfully working out her salvation with fear and trembling1 she indulged the most unfounded apprehensions of the ,divine displeasure1 and lived more in dread of perishing than in expectation of being saved4 ,no circumstance gave them so much uneasiness1 on their removal to their country seat1 as the loss of that ministry under which they had been brought to feel the power of the truth2 especially as the ,vicar of the parish was decidedly opposed to evangelical sentiments4 ,the junior branches of the family were intelligent and accomplished1 but they made no profession of religion2 and now they were liberated from the restraints which a faithful and an enlightened ministry had thrown over the evil tendencies of their nature1 they evinced a strong inclination to adopt the habits1 and conform to the customs of fashionable life1 which greatly perplexed and depressed their pious parents1 especially their mother4 ,an intimate friend 7,mrs4 ,loader71 who spent some weeks at the ,elms1 saw this manifest change in their predilections1 and availing herself of a favourable opportunity1 she alluded to it1 when in conversation with ,miss ,holmes1 and delicately1 yet most earnestly1 urged her to be on her guard1 or the change in their place of residence would become a snare1 if it did not break up all their religious habits1 and prove fatal to their spiritual happiness and safety4 ,this admonitory warning ,louisa received with gratitude1 as a fresh proof of the kind concern her friend felt for the best interests1 both of herself and of the entire family4 ,indeed1 she remarked1 the world abounds with evil1 but no temptation is so pernicious1 or so much to be dreaded1 as irreligious society2 and this is the only society which we now have4 ,i fear it will prove destructive of all the good impressions we have received under the ministry of the venerable ,mr4 ,newton4 ,his appeals operated as a check and as a restraint on the evil tendencies of our nature2 but now we are allured into worldly habits1 by being told from the pulpit that we ought to see life1 and have free access to all its scenes and sources of pleasure and amusement4 ,mamma has been endeavouring to persuade papa to take an excursion to ,dawlish1 which will remove us from this scene of danger1 and ,i hope on our return we shall be enabled to withstand every enticement injurious to our religious habits4 ,on taking leave1 ,mrs4 ,loader presented her with a copy of ,doddridge's ,rise and ,progress of ,religion in the ,soul1 which ,miss ,holmes said she had read1 but promised to peruse again1 as a compliment to the kindness which had dictated the present4 ,miss ,holmes' two sisters1 ,emma and ,jane1 were several years younger than herself4 ,they bore some resemblance to each other in the general outlines of their character1 but materially differed in some of its more prominent features4 ,as they had just finished their education in a school1 where all the accomplishments could be acquired1 except the one most essential to human happiness1 they felt themselves in their native element when moving in the circles of gaiety and folly4 ,emma had the finest figure1 but ,jane possessed the most cultivated mind4 ,the former excelled in gracefulness of manners1 the latter in sweetness of disposition2 and while ,emma was rather fond of display1 there was an unobtrusive modesty about ,jane which inclined her to conceal her most attractive charms4 ,emma appeared to most advantage in a large party1 where she moved1 and spoke as though she were the presiding spirit of the scene2 ,jane1 in a select circle1 where the interchange of thought and sentiment could take place without being subjected to the interruptions and breaks which a promiscuous throng invariably occasions4 ,emma was rather of a satirical temper1 with a keen sense of the ludicrous2 but ,jane surpassed most of her own age in that practical good sense which is more valuable than artificial polish4 ,though1 however1 they thus differed so materially in some of the more prominent features of their character1 they were nevertheless passionately fond of each other1 and much attached to their parents1 their brothers1 and sisters4 ,as ,mr4 ,holmes had applied himself to the toils of business with unremitting constancy for so many years1 and had acquired a large fortune1 he yielded without hesitation to the solicitations of ,mrs4 ,holmes and his daughters1 and took a tour with them through the west of ,england1 visiting in their route all the localities either famed for their natural beauty1 or interesting by their historical associations4 ,travelling by easy stages1 they at last reached ,dawlish in ,devonshire1 with which they were so much delighted that they remained there for several months4 ,here it was that ,miss ,holmes was introduced to ,miss ,roscoe1 with whom she formed an acquaintance1 which soon ripened to an ardent friendship1 and proved in future years a source of much spiritual enjoyment4 ,a ,,misfortune ,,often ,a ,,blessing ,,in ,,disguise4 ,shortly after the return of the family to the ,elms1 from their ,devonshire excursion1 ,miss ,holmes sustained an accident1 which1 though apparently an untoward occurrence1 she used afterwards to speak of as having exercised a most salutary influence on her character4 ,as she was stepping out of the carriage one day1 the horses suddenly moved forwards1 by which her foot got entangled between the step and the wheel1 and she was very much injured4 ,a messenger was immediately despatched for a surgeon1 who1 on examining the bruised parts1 reported that no bones were broken1 but said that the ancle joint had been violently sprained4 ,after the application of leeches1 and giving orders to prepare a fomentation to reduce the swelling1 he requested that she would immediately retire to rest2 and if she felt any pain in the morning1 not to attempt to walk1 but keep her foot in a horizontal position4 ,these instructions were attended to2 but she passed a very restless night1 and in the morning was much worse than had been expected4 ,this accident confined her a close prisoner for some months1 so that she had no opportunity of renewing her former intimacies1 which had been interrupted by the excursion to the west of ,england4 ,many called and left their cards1 and some of her more intimate friends would come occasionally and sit with her2 but a sick chamber possesses few attractions for the votaries of pleasure1 who generally turn from it with careless indifference4 ,as she usually enjoyed a great flow of spirits1 and was rather volatile in her disposition--more fond of the pleasures of society than the grave exercises of meditation--she was very depressed and irritable during the first few weeks of her confinement1 often censuring in strong terms the inattention of the servant in leaving the horses2 but she gradually became more reconciled to her state1 and at length turned her attention to reading1 to divert her mind and beguile the tedious hours4 ,she would have preferred some of the popular tales and novels of the day to any of the volumes in her father's library2 but she had too much regard for his authority and his feelings to send for works which she knew would be displeasing to him4 ,one afternoon1 when her parents and sisters went to dine with her brothers in ,london1 leaving her alone1 she requested the servant to bring her a book2 and one book after another was brought1 and closed almost as soon as she had read the title-page4 ,at length she thought of the book which her esteemed friend1 ,mrs4 ,loader1 had given her1 and of her promise to peruse it4 ,she took it up from the table near which she was sitting1 but after turning over a few leaves put it from her1 saying1 ,i have read it4 ,but as she had pledged herself to read it again1 she took the book once more--reluctantly and carelessly read the running titles which are prefixed to its different chapters1 till she came to the tenth1 when her attention was imperceptibly arrested1 and she perused it with a degree of interest which no other religious composition had ever excited4#af #af ,the author has transcribed1 from ,doddridge's ,rise and ,progress1 nearly the whole of this chapter and the subjoined prayer1 as he conceives they will prove very acceptable to those of his readers who have not the original work4 ,thus far have ,i often known convictions and impressions to arise1 which1 after all1 have worn off again4 ,some unhappy circumstance of external temptation1 ever joined by the inward reluctance of an unsanctified heart to the scheme of redemption1 has been the ruin of multitudes4 ,and1 'through the deceitfulness of sin1 they have been hardened1' till they seem to have been 'utterly destroyed1 and that without remedy4' ,and therefore1 ,o thou immortal creature1 who art now reading these lines1 ,i beseech thee1 that1 while affairs are in this critical situation1 while there are these balancings of mind between accepting and rejecting that glorious gospel which ,i now lay before you1 you will give me an attentive audience1 while ',i pray you in ,christ's stead that you would be reconciled to ,god4' ,one would indeed imagine there should be no need of importunity here4 ,one would conclude1 that as soon as perishing sinners are told that an offended ,god is ready to be reconciled--that he offers them a full pardon for all their aggravated sins--yea1 that he is willing to adopt them into his family now1 that he may at length admit them to his heavenly presence--all should1 with the utmost readiness and pleasure1 embrace so kind a message1 and fall at his feet in speechless transports of astonishment1 gratitude1 and joy4 ,but alas6 we find it much otherwise4 ,we see multitudes quite unmoved1 and the impressions which are made on many more are feeble and transient4 ,lest it should be thus with you1 ,o reader1 let me urge the message with which ,i have the honour to be charged2 let me entreat you to be reconciled to ,god1 and to accept of pardon and salvation in the way in which it is so freely offered to you4 ,i entreat you1 'by the majesty of that ,god in whose name ,i come1' whose voice fills all heaven with reverence and obedience4 ,he speaks not in vain to legions of angels2 but if there could be any contention among those blessed spirits1 it would be1 who should be first to execute his commands4 ,oh1 let him not speak in vain to you6 ,i entreat you1 'by the terrors of his wrath1' who could speak to you in thunder--who could1 by one single act of his will1 cut off this precarious life of yours1 and send you down to hell4 ,i beseech you by his tender mercies1 which still yearn over you1 as those of a parent over 'a dear son1' over a tender child1 whom1 notwithstanding his former ungrateful rebellion1 'he earnestly remembers still4' ,i entreat you1 'by all this paternal goodness1' that you do not compel him to lose the character of the gentle ,parent in that of the righteous ,judge4 ,i beseech you further1 'by the name and love of our dying ,saviour4' ,i beseech you1 by all the condescension of his incarnation1 by that poverty to which he voluntarily submitted1 'that you might be enriched' with eternal treasures2 by all the gracious invitations which he gave1 which still sound in his ,word1 and still coming1 as it were1 warm from his heart1 are 'sweeter than honey or the honey-comb4' ,i beseech you1 by all his glorious works of power and of wonder1 which were also works of love4 ,i beseech you1 by the memory of the most benevolent ,person1 and the most generous ,friend4 ,i beseech you1 by the memory of what he suffered1 as well as of what he said and did2 by the agony which he endured in the garden1 when his body was covered 'with a dew of blood4' ,i beseech you1 by all that tender distress which he felt1 when his dearest friends 'forsook him and fled1' and his blood-thirsty enemies dragged him away1 like the meanest of slaves1 and like the vilest of criminals4 ,i beseech you1 by the blows and bruises1 by the stripes and lashes1 which this injured ,sovereign endured while in their rebellious hands2 'by the shame of spitting1 from which he hid not that kind and venerable countenance4' ,i beseech you1 'by the purple robe1 the sceptre of reed1 and the crown of thorns which this ,king of glory wore1 that he might set us among the princes of heaven4' ,i beseech you1 by the heavy burden of 'the cross1' under which he panted1 and toiled1 and fainted in the painful way 'to ,golgotha1' that he might free us from the burden of our sins4 ,i beseech you1 by the remembrance of those rude nails that tore the veins and arteries1 the nerves and tendons1 of his sacred hands and feet2 and by that invincible1 that triumphant goodness1 which1 while the iron pierced his flesh1 engaged him to cry out1 ',father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4' ,i beseech you1 by that unutterable anguish which he bore1 when lifted up upon the cross1 and extended there as on a rack for six painful hours1 that you open your heart to those attractive influences which have 'drawn to him thousands1 and ten thousands4' ,i beseech you by all that insult and derision which the ',lord of glory bore there2' by that parching thirst1 which could hardly obtain the relief of 'vinegar2' by that doleful cry1 so astonishing in the mouth of the only-begotten of the ,father1 ',my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me8' ,i beseech you1 by that grace that subdued and pardoned 'a dying malefactor2' by that compassion for sinners1 by that compassion for you1 which wrought in his heart long as its vital motion continued1 and which ended not when 'he bowed his head1 saying1 ,it is finished1 and gave up the ghost4' ,i beseech you1 by the triumphs of that resurrection by which he was 'declared to be the ,son of ,god with power2' by the spirit of holiness which wrought to accomplish it2 by that gracious tenderness which attempered all those triumphs1 when he said to her out of whom he had cast seven devils1 concerning his disciples1 who had treated him so basely1 ',go1 tell my brethren1 ,i ascend unto my ,father and your ,father1 unto my ,god and your ,god4' ,i beseech you1 by that condescension with which he said to ,thomas1 when his unbelief had made such an unreasonable demand1 ',reach hither thy finger1 and behold mine hands1 and reach hither thine hand1 and thrust it into my side2 and be not faithless1 but believing4' ,i beseech you1 by that generous and faithful care of his people1 which he carried up with him to the regions of glory1 and which engaged him to send down 'his ,spirit1' in the rich profusion of miraculous gifts1 to spread the progress of his saving ,word4 ,i beseech you1 by that voice of sympathy and power1 with which he said to ,saul1 while injuring his church1 ',saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest thou me8' by that generous goodness1 which spared the prostrate enemy when he lay trembling at his feet1 and raised him to so high a dignity as to be 'not inferior to the very chiefest apostles4' ,i beseech you1 by the memory of all that ,christ hath already done1 by the expectation of all he will further do for his people4 ,i beseech you1 at once1 by the sceptre of his grace1 and by the sword of his justice1 with which all his incorrigible 'enemies' shall be 'slain before him1' that you do not trifle away these precious moments1 while his ,spirit is thus breathing upon you--that you do not lose an opportunity which may never return1 and on the improvement of which eternity depends4 ,i beseech you1 'by all the bowels of compassion which you owe to the faithful ministers of ,christ1' who are studying and labouring1 preaching and praying1 wearing out their time1 exhausting their strength1 and very probably shortening their lives1 for the salvation of your soul1 and of souls like yours4 ,i beseech you1 by the affection with which all that love our ,lord ,jesus ,christ in sincerity long to see you brought back to him4 ,i beseech you1 by the friendship of the living1 and by the memory of the dead2 by the ruin of those who have trifled away their days and are perished in their sins1 and the happiness of those who have embraced the gospel and are saved by it4 ,i beseech you1 by the great expectation of that important 'day1 when the ,lord ,jesus shall be revealed from heaven2' by 'the terrors of a dissolving world2' by the 'sound of the archangel's trumpet1' and of that infinitely more awful sentence1 ',come1 ye blessed1 and depart1 ye cursed1' with which that awful solemnity shall close4 ,i beseech you1 finally1 by your own precious and immortal soul2 by the sure prospect of a dying bed1 or of sudden surprise into the invisible state1 and as you would feel one spark of comfort in your departing spirit when your flesh and your heart are failing4 ,i beseech you1 by your own personal appearance before the tribunal of ,christ 7for a personal appearance it must be1 even to those who now sit on thrones of their own72 by all the transports of the blessed1 and by all the agonies of the damned1 the one or the other of which must be your everlasting portion4 ,i affectionately entreat and beseech you1 in the strength of all these united considerations1 as you will answer it to me1 who may on that day be summoned to testify against you2 and1 which is unspeakably more1 as you will answer it to your own conscience--as you will answer it to the eternal ,judge--that you dismiss not these thoughts1 these meditations1 and these cares1 till you have brought matters to a happy issue--till you have made a resolute choice of ,christ1 and his appointed way of salvation2 and till you have solemnly devoted yourself to ,god in the bonds of an everlasting covenant4 ,and thus ,i leave the matter before you and before the ,lord4 ,i have told you my errand2 ,i have discharged my embassy4 ,stronger arguments ,i cannot use--more endearing and more awful considerations ,i cannot suggest4 ,choose1 therefore1 whether you will go out1 as it were1 clothed in sackcloth1 to cast yourself at the feet of him who now sends you these equitable and gracious terms of peace and pardon2 or whether you will hold it out till he appears1 sword in hand1 to reckon with you for your treasons and your crimes1 and for this neglected embassy among the rest4 ,fain would ,i hope the best2 nor can ,i believe that this labour of love shall be entirely unsuccessful--that not one soul shall be brought to the foot of ,christ in cordial submission and humble faith4 ',take with you1' therefore1 'words1 and turn unto the ,lord1' and say unto him1 ',take away all iniquity1 and receive me graciously2 so will ,i render the praise of my lips4' ,the impression which this reading produced was such as she had never previously felt2 the arrow of conviction had pierced her heart1 but the feelings excited were more those of joy than of grief4 ,she re-perused the chapter2 it disclosed new beauties--it sent forth a still stronger power of excitement4 ,her soul was alternately elevated and depressed1 agonized and composed1 as though she had no control over its movements4 ,she recalled to her remembrance those powerful1 yet momentary impressions of truth1 which she had experienced in former years1 when sitting under the ministry of the venerable ,newton2 and trembled lest those under which she was now labouring should prove equally transient4 ,it was this fearful apprehension which gave her more pain1 than a discovery of her moral danger2 because she knew that there was salvation for the chief of sinners2 but she knew that if these impressions left her they might never return4 ,she arose from the couch of weariness and suffering1 and stood resting on the back of her chair1 while she gave vent to her feelings in the following form of prayer3-- ,blessed ,lord1 it is enough6 it is too much6 ,surely there needs not this variety of argument1 this importunity of persuasion1 to court me to be happy1 to prevail on me to accept of pardon1 of life1 of eternal glory4 ,compassionate ,saviour1 my soul is subdued2 so that ,i trust the language of my grief is become that of my submission1 and ,i may say1 ',my heart is fixed1 ,o ,god1 my heart is fixed2 ,i will sing and give praise' 7,psalm lvii4 #g74 ,o gracious ,redeemer6 ,i have already neglected thee too long4 ,i have too often injured thee2 have crucified thee afresh by my guilt and impenitence1 as if ,i had taken pleasure in 'putting thee to an open shame4' ,but my heart now bows itself before thee in humble unfeigned submission4 ,i desire to make no terms with thee but these--that ,i may be entirely thine4 ,i cheerfully present thee with a blank1 entreating thee that thou wilt do me the honour to signify upon it what is thy pleasure4 ,teach me1 ,o ,lord1 what thou wouldst have me to do2 for ,i desire to learn the lesson1 and to learn it that ,i may practise it4 ,if it be more than my feeble powers can answer1 thou wilt1 ,i hope1 give me more strength2 and in that strength will ,i serve thee4 ,o receive a soul which thou hast made willing to be thine6 ,no more1 ,o blessed ,jesus1 no more is it necessary to beseech and entreat me4 ,permit me1 rather1 to address myself to thee with all the importunity of a perishing sinner1 that at length sees and knows 'there is salvation in no other4' ,permit me now1 ,lord1 to come and throw myself at thy feet1 like a helpless outcast that has no shelter but in thy generous compassion2 like one 'pursued by the avenger of blood1' and seeking earnestly an admittance into the 'city of refuge4' ',i wait for the ,lord2 my soul doth wait2 and in thy word do ,i hope1' that thou wilt 'receive me graciously4' ,my soul confides in thy goodness1 and adores it4 ,i adore the patience which has borne with me so long2 and the grace that now makes me heartily willing to be thine2 to be thine on thine own terms1 thine on any terms4 ,o secure this treacherous heart to thyself6 ,o unite me to thee in such inseparable bonds1 that none of the allurements of rank1 or of fortune--none of the vanities of an ensnaring world--none of the solicitations of sinful companions1 may draw me back from thee and plunge me into new guilt and ruin6 ',be surety1 ,o ,lord1 for thy servant for good1' that ,i may still keep my hold on thee2 till at length ,i know more fully1 by joyful and everlasting experience1 how complete a ,saviour thou art4 ,amen4 ,as she sat musing on the wondrous scene which had passed before her1 adoring the long-suffering which had borne with her follies1 and the grace which had so unexpectedly invested the truth with such attractive and subduing power1 she was roused by the entrance of her mother4 ,i hope1 my dear ,louisa1 said ,mrs4 ,holmes1 you have spent a more pleasant day than you anticipated4 ,i have been more free from pain than usual1 she replied2 and upon the whole1 the hours have passed away agreeably1 though ,i certainly felt my solitude to be irksome4 ,many who have felt the renewing influence of the truth1 when looking back to the earlier periods of their history1 can recal to their remembrance some text of ,scripture1 an observation in a sermon1 or a remark in conversation1 which had an extraordinary effect at the time it was heard2 fixing their attention as though it spoke with commanding authority2 and which may be regarded as the first strivings of the ,spirit of ,god within them4 ,these sacred occurrences have served as the rallying point of hope1 when the mind has been driven to the remotest distance from the faith of ,christ2 and notwithstanding the preference which may have been given for a season to the pleasures of sin1 there has been a secret inclination for those of righteousness--,god having implanted a witness in the bosom who has never ceased to warn and to reprove4 ,miss ,holmes1 when about the age of twelve years1 heard ,mr4 ,newton make the following remark1 in addressing himself to children3 ,you should treasure up in your memory1 while you are young1 all the religious knowledge which you can obtain1 as it may be of great service to you at some future day1 when your attention may be directed to the momentous question of your salvation4 ,you will then1 when convinced of sin1 and awed by the terrors of the world to come1 know how to obtain relief1 and be kept from that state of deep perplexity in which many are plunged1 who are brought to see their danger1 while ignorant of the way of escape4 ,this judicious remark struck her with peculiar force1 and ever afterwards she listened to the preaching of the gospel1 in anticipation of the future benefit which she might derive from it4 ,from that moment she lived in the full expectation of the great spiritual change1 which was ultimately produced in her mind4 ,often1 at different periods1 would she retire from the fascinations of the world to pray for a new heart2 and though she had urged her request till hope began to wane1 yet she was never permitted to despair of obtaining the blessing4 ,it is true1 the paralyzing influence of her new connections and habits had greatly diminished her anxieties and solicitudes for the one thing needful2 but the early impressions of its importance which she had received1 when listening to the faithful appeals of ,mr4 ,newton1 were too deeply imprinted in her heart ever to become obliterated2 and though she usually assumed great ease of manners1 and wore the smile of complacent cheerfulness1 yet beneath these outward appearances there lay concealed a wounded1 and at times an agonized spirit4 ,she would sometimes join in the satirical play of wit on the eccentricities of professors1 but always discountenanced any attack on the truth or sanctity of religion2 and though she was becoming more and more conformed to the world1 yet she could not disengage herself from the influence which the powers of the world to come had early acquired over her judgment and her conscience4 ,she had too much religion to be happy with the gay1 and too little to be happy with the pious2 mingling with each1 yet not being able to partake of the enjoyments of either1 she was doomed to a life of perpetual mortification4 ,as her character usually received its peculiar tone and complexion from the society with which she last associated1 it was perpetually varying from gay to grave and from grave to gay2 her spirits would occasionally rise to the highest mirth1 and then sink to the lowest depression2 sometimes she appeared open and bland1 at other times reserved and gloomy2 alternately devoting herself to the pleasures of the world1 and the external exercises of religion1 it was not till after she became a new creature in ,christ ,jesus1 that her most intimate friends could ascertain the real cause of such extraordinary changeableness in her character4 ,the impressions of ,divine truth on the heart1 when produced by a supernatural power1 are deep and permanent2 but when they claim no higher origin than the agency of man1 they soon pass away like the morning cloud and early dew1 and leave no trace of their existence4 ,they may1 during their continuance1 induce an order of thought and reflection1 in strict accordance with the general tenor of the ,scriptures1 but they effect no real change in the heart or character4 ,as they bear a resemblance when they are first received1 and at successive periods1 to the operations of the ,holy ,spirit1 they are frequently mistaken for them1 and a profession of religion made under their influence is often abandoned as soon as they subside4 ,hence the annals of the ,christian church record the names of many who have outlived their avowed attachment to the faith of ,christ2 and the most awful passages of the sacred volume are directed against those who1 after pleading its promises1 with the hope of obtaining eternal life1 relapse into a course of worldliness or infidelity4 ,it was under a trembling apprehension of the transitory nature of her religious convictions and feelings1 that ,miss ,holmes formed a resolution to make no reference to them1 till by a process of trial she had acquired some satisfactory evidence of their permanency4 ,she remembered an observation which she once heard the venerable ,newton make1 when preaching on the parable of the sower3--,genuine religion is distinguished from that which is spurious1 not so much by the dissimilarity of its first impressions1 as by its power to resist temptation1 and to bring the dispositions of the heart into subjection to the authority of ,jesus ,christ4 ,her indisposition1 though severe and protracted1 was at no period considered dangerous2 it kept her away from the scenes of gaiety to which she would otherwise have been exposed1 and gave her an opportunity of devoting her attention more calmly and dispassionately to that subject which now began to appear pre-eminently interesting and important4 ,she knew that her sins were more in number than she could calculate1 and that the sentence of condemnation which stood recorded against her might be executed without any impeachment of the justice or benevolence of ,god2 but such was the strength of her faith in the efficacy of the ,saviour's death1 and in the power of his intercession1 that she was filled with all peace in believing1 abounding in hope1 through the power of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,her transition from a state of nature to a state of grace--from vain and passing pleasures to those of religion--from the delusive charms of the visible to the more attractive glories of the unseen world1 was sudden1 but tranquil--unattended by those deep convictions of guilt and that overpowering apprehension of future condemnation which sometimes torture and distract the mind of the young disciple4 ,this was primarily owing to the accurate knowledge of the scheme of salvation which she had acquired by sitting under the enlightened ministry of ,mr4 ,newton2 for while it must not be concealed1 that the beginning and consummation of personal religion in the heart is to be attributed to the immediate action of a supernatural power1 yet it is equally evident that its progress in allaying the fear that produceth torment1 in instilling the peace which passeth all understanding1 and in elevating and fixing the affections on things above1 is usually in proportion to the accuracy and extent of the theological information which is possessed4 ,many1 says an interesting writer1 are too prone to look for a conversion always uniform1 not only in its effects1 but in its operation1 and too much bordering on the miraculous4 ,the soul must be first overwhelmed with fear--then pierced by grief and anguish--then plunged into despair--then suddenly filled with hope1 and peace1 and joy2 and the person must be able to determine the day on which1 and the sermon1 or the paragraph1 or the providence by which the change was wrought4 ,but this is by no means necessarily1 or generally the case4 ,there is a variety in the temperaments and habits of men1 and in the methods employed to bring them to repentance4 ,we should remember that there are differences of administration1 but the same ,lord2 that often he prefers to the earthquake1 the wind1 and the fire1 the small still voice2 that he can draw by the cords of love and the bands of a man2 that he can work as effectually by slow as by instantaneous exertions2 and that he may change the soul in a manner so gradual and mild1 as to be scarcely discernible to any but the glorious ,author4 ,and here we are furnished with evidence from analogy4 ,in nature some of ,god's works insensibly issue in others1 and it is impossible for us to draw the line of distinction4 ,the path of the just is as the shining light1 which shineth more and more unto the perfect day4 ,but who can ascertain which ray begins1 or which ends the dawn8 ,if you are unable to trace the progress of the ,divine life1 judge by the result4 ,when you perceive the effects of conversion1 never question the cause4 ,and if perplexed by a number of circumstantial inquiries1 be satisfied if you are able to say1 ,one thing ,i know1 that whereas ,i was once blind1 now ,i see4 ,the chastened seriousness of spirit which ,miss ,holmes exhibited1 and the new course of reading which she adopted1 induced the family to suppose that she was taking a religious turn1 though she cautiously abstained from making any reference to it4 ,she felt convinced that some essential change had taken place1 yet at times she doubted if it was anything more than the effect of her own spontaneous thoughts and reflections2 and as she had1 more than once1 experienced a mental excitement of a similar nature1 she rejoiced with trembling4 ,she knew that the righteous hold on their way1 because they are kept by the power of ,god through faith unto salvation2 but as she was often perplexed1 when endeavouring to ascertain whether she belonged to that specific denomination of character1 she could not anticipate the issue of her impressions with unmingled satisfaction4 ,she felt a distaste for those objects of pursuit and sources of gratification which had acquired such a powerful ascendency over her2 and now she longed to partake of the more refined enjoyment which results from communion with the members of the household of faith and the public exercises of devotion2 but she dreaded the prospect of coming into contact with the world1 lest another relapse of feeling should take place1 which would leave her still more insensible than ever to the unseen realities of eternity4 ,the ,saviour1 in his various offices1 was now precious to her1 as he is to all them that believe4 ,she dwelt with holy awe and delight on that union of majesty and condescension1 purity and compassion1 justice and grace1 which he displays in his mediatorial character2 but she was apprehensive1 that when exposed to the rival influence of temporal pursuits1 her mind would again be enslaved by their charms1 and she would lose the relish she now felt for her new themes of contemplation and enjoyment4 ,thus it is wisely ordained1 that at every period in the experience of the ,christian1 there shall be some circumstances to perplex his judgment--some uncertainty to darken his prospect--some apprehensions to disturb his peace1 to convince him that here 'perfect bliss cannot be found2' and that no attainments1 however high--that no anticipations1 however bright and animating--are capable1 while we are encompassed with infirmities1 of yielding unmingled satisfaction and delight4 ,at times ,miss ,holmes felt very anxious to disclose to some one the change through which her mind was now passing1 that she might have the advantage of ,christian sympathy and guidance2 but the perplexing question was1 to whom should she make the communication4 ,she often thought of speaking to her mother1 but when she made the attempt1 her courage failed her4 ,at length she addressed the following letter to her friend ,mrs4 ,loader1 who had evinced so much solicitude for her spiritual welfare3-- ,,the ,,elms1 #afth ,oct41 #ah--4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,i am much obliged by your affectionate epistle1 which ,i received on the #ajth2 and ,i regret that you should deem any apology necessary for the introduction of that specific advice which it contains4 ,my obvious indifference to the momentous question of personal religion1 and my growing conformity to the customs and habits of the gay world1 must1 ,i have no doubt1 have given you very considerable uneasiness2 and ,i assure you that it often plunged me into the deepest depression of spirit4 ,i was often cheerful1 but never happy2 often trying fresh expedients to divert my attention from what ,i deemed the gloomy subject1 but never could succeed2 and though ,i became more insensible to the attractions of religion as ,i grew in years1 yet ,i exposed myself more frequently to the keenness of its reproofs and the awful terrors of its threatenings4 ,my associates1 who had not had the privilege of a pious education1 could enjoy the world1 and treat with levity the prohibitory injunctions of the ,scriptures1 but ,i could not4 ,i never could divest myself of the full conviction that ,god has the first claim on the affections of the heart2 and that he has appointed a day when every human being 'must appear before the judgment-seat of ,christ2 that every one may receive the things done in his body1 according to that he hath done1 whether it be good or bad4' ,these thoughts would rush into my mind1 not only when alone1 but also when in the midst of the gayest company1 and by no expedient could ,i succeed in driving them away4 ,it was under the most agonizing mental conflict ,i ever sustained1 that ,i hailed our tour to the west as likely to dissolve the fatal charm by which ,i was subdued and enslaved2 but ,i found1 on my return1 that my heart had undergone no change1 as ,i often secretly anticipated a re-entrance into those scenes which my conscience so severely condemned4 ,i once heard ,mr4 ,newton remark1 that as our dangers often spring out of our comforts1 so the greatest blessings sometimes grow out of our heaviest afflictions4 ,the correctness of this remark ,i can now attest from experience4 ,it was on our return from ,devonshire that ,i met with the accident which has confined me a close prisoner for more than two months2 but to that accident which ,i called disastrous1 ,i owe all my present happiness and my prospect of eternal glory4 ,you express a hope that ,i have given the book which you so kindly presented to me1 a candid perusal1 presuming that no season can be more favourable for such subjects of inquiry than those which we denominate afflictive4 ,yes1 my dear friend1 ,i have read it1 though ,i felt such a reluctance to do so that ,i put it from me several times2 and had not my word stood pledged to read it1 ,i had still been a stranger to its soul-stirring contents4 ,i read on carelessly till ,i came to the tenth chapter1 when the subject fixed my attention1 and ,i hope penetrated my heart4 ,then ,i felt that ,i was a sinner--then ,i felt that ,i stood solitary and alone1 in the immediate presence of my ,legislator and my ,judge1 confounded1 because righteously condemned--then ,i felt that ,i needed a ,saviour4 ,i have had many strong convictions of the truth and the necessity of religion in the earlier seasons of my life2 but those produced on this occasion were more clear1 and full1 and impressive1 than any that ever preceded them4 ,they came with an authority which ,i could not resist2 they prevented all vacillation of mind1 and constrained me1 with a force which ,i had no disposition to withstand1 to yield to their power2 and though my evil heart of unbelief would sometimes suggest that all is a delusion1 artfully practised on my imagination by ,satan1 who sometimes transforms himself into an angel of light1 yet ,i can say1 in reference to ,him who is the chief among ten thousand--',whom having not seen1 ,i love2 in whom1 though now ,i see him not1 yet believing1 ,i rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory4' ,when1 my dear friend1 ,i received that present from your hand1 ,i did not calculate on the effects which it was ordained to produce2 for though ,i feel unworthy of the notice of the ,friend of sinners1 yet1 on reviewing the recent change which has taken place in my sentiments1 my taste1 and my feelings1 ,i cannot avoid ascribing it to his sovereign and predetermined will4 ,but though ,i am fully convinced that a great change has been produced1 yet ,i must not conceal from you the dread ,i sometimes feel lest it should prove only a momentary excitement4 ,i now can see the vanity of the world2 but shall ,i do so when ,i am again able to go about8 ,i now can consecrate myself to the service of the ,redeemer2 but shall ,i have courage to take up the cross and follow him1 when again enticed to mingle with the gay votaries of fashion8 ,it is not my province to dictate to infinite ,wisdom1 nor prescribe the method by which my religious principles shall be tried2 but it is my earnest1 and my daily prayer1 to be kept within the walls of my solitary retreat1 till ,he whose ,i am1 and whom ,i wish to serve1 has prepared me to resist every temptation by which ,i may be assailed1 and to perform every duty which may devolve upon me4 ,now that ,i have given you this explanation1 you will doubtless be able to account for that singular variation in my disposition and manners1 which you must have so often noticed2 but if you had known the strange revulsion of feeling to which my poor unhappy mind was perpetually subjected1 you would have considered it as perfectly natural4 ,i am by nature a child of imitation--apt to catch the spirit and temper of those with whom ,i come into contact--easily captivated by imposing manners--averse to all appearance of singularity--volatile and impetuous in my disposition2 yet at the early age of twelve1 ,i was so powerfully impressed with the truth and necessity of personal piety1 that ,i do not think ,i ever spent a day without giving it my most serious attention4 ,hence1 when carried away by the example of others to scenes of gaiety1 my spirits would naturally rise to a high pitch of feeling1 yet on returning to my graver and more important subjects of reflection1 ,i felt so abased and confounded--so terrified and alarmed in prospect of futurity1 that ,i could scarcely endure the anguish ,i was doomed to suffer4 ,i do not know that ,i can better describe the state of my mind1 than by quoting the language of ,dr4 ,watts1 with a few slight alterations3-- ',i was a helpless captive1 sold ,under the power of sin3 ,i could not do the good ,i would1 ,nor keep my conscience clean4 ',my ,god1 ,i cry'd with fervent breath1 ,for some kind power to save1 ,to break the yoke of sin and death1 ,and thus redeem the slave4' ,the charge which is often brought against religion1 as tending to abridge our comforts1 and induce a melancholy and dejection of spirit1 ,i can repel from experience4 ,infallible ,truth declares1 that her ways are ways of pleasantness1 and her paths are paths of peace2 and now ,i know1 and feel it4 ,my mind1 which has been tossed about on the surging billows of doubt and perplexity1 has at last gained that haven of rest1 where1 ,i trust1 it is destined to remain4 ,no one of my family has any knowledge of the present state of my feelings1 as ,i have cautiously abstained from making any allusion to religious subjects2 not because ,i am ashamed of religion1 but because ,i am unwilling to make a premature profession2 and though perhaps you may censure me for withholding from my dear parents a communication which is so calculated to give them pleasure1 yet if ,i should be permitted1 after having made it1 to relapse into my former course of gaiety and folly1 the disappointment will be so great that it may entail on them perpetual sorrow4 ,pray that ,i may be kept in the evil hour--that ,i may be enabled to walk circumspectly towards them that are without--that ,i may have courage to make a profession of my attachment to the ,lord ,jesus1 and grace to adorn it1 and at length be presented faultless before the presence of his glory1 with exceeding joy4 ,i need not say how acceptable another letter from you would be2 but ,i certainly should prefer a personal interview1 if you could make it convenient to pay us a visit4 ,i am happy to inform you that ,i am much better1 and that all the rest of the family are well4--,yours affectionately1 ,,louisa4 ,to ,mrs4 ,loader4 ,true piety does not act to be seen of men1 nor speak to gain their applause2 but though for a season it may remain unobserved1 yet the meekness of its spirit and the lustre of its character are marks by which it will always indubitably be known4 ,for the reasons which have been previously assigned1 ,miss ,holmes had abstained from communicating to her family the change which had taken place in her sentiments and feelings2 but she was not able to conceal from them the external proofs of it which her conduct and her occasional conversation necessarily supplied4 ,as she was reserved on the subject1 so were her parents2 and though they felt anxious to ascertain if her great seriousness of manners was anything more than a recurrence of her former deep depression of spirit1 yet they knew not how to do it4 ,it often happens that young persons can make a more free statement of their religious experience to strangers or distant friends than they can to their own parents2 but this in general argues some essential defect in the bringing up and arrangements of the family4 ,there may be1 ,i grant1 on the part of the child1 in the earlier stages of his experience1 a reluctance to disclose to any one the secret movements and operations of his heart towards the best of ,beings2 but if ,christian parents were to incorporate1 in their course of religious instruction1 the habit of a free and unreserved conversation on the practical effects of truth1 and if they would occasionally retire with their children1 to pray with them and for them1 specifically and alone1 it would imperceptibly beget such a union and intimacy of spirit1 that they would be no less anxious to unburden to them the anxieties and sorrows of their heart1 than the parent would feel delighted to become their spiritual counsellor and friend4 ,when ,miss ,holmes was sitting with her mother1 one ,sabbath evening1 an allusion happened to be made to the sermon which had been preached at church1 and with which ,mrs4 ,holmes expressed her dissatisfaction4 ,perhaps1 remarked ,louisa1 it would be difficult to procure a more pleasant residence than our own1 or one which is more conducive to our general health2 but ,i assure you that ,i often deplore the consequences which must inevitably result1 from our being deprived of the privilege of attending an evangelical ministry4 ,it gives me pleasure1 my dear1 to hear you deplore the loss of such a privilege1 as it is a proof that you value it4 ,yes1 ,mamma1 ,i do value it1 but now1 alas6 ,i have no prospect of enjoying it4 ,yet ,i feel more for others1 than ,i feel for myself1 especially for the junior members of our family2 as ,i fear1 now that they are removed from the restraints which pure evangelical truth imposes on the heart and conscience1 they will devote themselves to the pleasures of the world1 which will give them a distaste for those of religion4 ,and does my dear ,louisa then prefer the pleasures of religion to those of the world8 ,i trust1 ,mamma1 ,i do2 though ,i am almost afraid to speak with confidence on such a delicate and important question4 ,i know from past experience1 that there may be deep religious impressions1 and powerful religious excitement1 even while the heart retains all its evil propensities and antipathies2 but ,i hope it hath pleased ,god to employ my late affliction as the means of bringing me into fellowship with himself1 and his ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,i murmured when he smote me1 but now ,i can say1 ',i know1 ,o ,lord1 that thy judgments are right1 and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me4 ,before ,i was afflicted ,i went astray2 but now have ,i kept thy word4' ,both your father and ,i have thought1 said ,mrs4 ,holmes1 that ,god was dealing graciously with your soul1 and we have often prayed that you might come out of this affliction a new creature in ,christ ,jesus2 yet we could not overcome the strange reluctance we felt to speak to you on the subject2 but as it hath pleased ,god to answer our prayers1 ,i must convey the glad tidings to your father1 who will embrace you as one alive from the dead4 ,as you have drawn me into a premature disclosure on this subject1 ,i certainly cannot object to your communicating to my dear father the substance of our conversation1 but ,i must request that you will take no notice of it to any other person4 ,for if ,i should now make a profession of religion1 and on the return of health and energy1 should relapse into my former course of gaiety and folly1 ,i shall do essential injury to others4 ,but1 my dear1 you may be 'confident of this very thing1 that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of ,jesus ,christ4' ,yes1 ,i know1 that when the work of grace is begun1 it will be carried on1 notwithstanding the various impediments which may obstruct its progress1 or the artifices which may be employed by the great adversary to effect its destruction2 but ,i am not quite satisfied that what ,i feel is the work of grace4 ,it may be nothing more than the effect of my own fears2 and if so1 it will disappear as soon as they subside2 or it may be the necessary consequence of that train of serious thought and reflection1 which a lengthened indisposition generally originates2 and if so1 every trace of its existence will be obliterated1 when ,i again intermingle in the pursuits of active life4 ,but have you not1 my dear ,louisa1 tasted that the ,lord is gracious1 as well as felt his terrors which have made you afraid8 and can you1 on cool reflection1 suppose that ,he will ever abandon you1 now that you have surrendered your heart to him8 ,i have felt none of the terrors of religion1 which may be an essential defect in my experience2 and the excitements which ,i have ascribed to the love of ,god shed abroad in my heart by the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 may prove the momentary joy of the stony-ground hearer1 in whom the seed of truth could not thrive1 because it took no root4 ,if1 after a period of trial1 ,i am induced to believe that ,i have felt the renovating power of ,divine grace1 ,i trust that ,i shall then have courage given me to make a decided profession of the faith of ,christ1 without regarding the remarks to which it may subject me2 but till then1 it is my earnest wish1 that you intrust to no one but my dear father the communication which ,i have almost unintentionally made to you4 ,i have seen so many throw off their religious profession1 and return to the course which they had abandoned2 and ,i have such a dread of apostasy1 that it is my fixed determination to have some practical proof of the efficacy of my principles to resist temptation1 and bring the dispositions of my heart into subjection to the authority of ,jesus ,christ1 before ,i make any profession4 ,i approve1 my dear1 of your decision2 but while jealous of yourself1 you must guard against mistrusting the faithfulness and loving-kindness of ,god your ,saviour1 who has pledged his honour to keep you by his power through faith unto salvation4 ,,christian ,,experience4 ,the scene which opens on the imagination of the young ,christian is often so beautiful and enchanting--it so deeply fixes his attention1 and enchains his affections--that he turns with an eye of comparative indifference from the objects and pursuits to which he has been previously devoted1 under a full conviction that they cannot now yield him the gratification they once did2 and that he cannot now derive permanent happiness1 except from that new source of felicity which he has discovered4 ,it is1 when he is under these novel and powerful impressions1 that the long neglected ,bible discloses new beauties2 no theme of meditation or discussion presents any subduing charm in comparison with ,christ ,jesus1 and him crucified2 and having felt the transition from a state of spiritual death to a newness of life1 to be attended by such hallowed emotions1 he is in danger of anticipating too large a portion of spiritual enjoyment1 which not unfrequently becomes the occasion of great mental perplexity1 and sometimes of deep depression4 ,during the continuance of her indisposition ,miss ,holmes felt so intensely interested in reading her ,bible1 that she might clearly understand the sublime theory of the ,christian faith1 and so absorbed in her spiritual exercises1 that her health sustained some injury by the severity of her application4 ,as a very natural consequence1 a shade of melancholy was cast over her spirit4 ,she was forewarned of the possibility of such an effect being produced2 but the usual apology which she made to her pious mother was1 ,can ,i take too much interest in that important subject1 into which angels desire to look8 or can ,i ever hope for a more favourable time for its investigation than the present1 when ,i am precluded from mingling in the employments or the amusements of the world8 ,the following form of self-dedication to ,god she now drew up and signed1 having vowed in the most solemn manner to observe it to the full extent of her pledge3-- ,eternal and unchangeable ,jehovah6 thou glorious ,creator of heaven and earth1 and adorable ,lord of angels and men1 ,i desire with the deepest humiliation and abasement of soul1 to bow down at this time in thine awful presence1 and earnestly pray1 that thou wilt impress my heart with a clear perception of thine unutterable and inconceivable glories4 ,to thee do ,i now come1 invited by the exceeding great and precious promises of thy ,word2 trusting for acceptance in the efficacy of the ,saviour's death1 beseeching thee to 'be merciful unto me a sinner4' ,the irregular propensities of my depraved nature have in ten thousand aggravated instances wrought to bring forth fruit unto death4 ,and if thou shouldst be strict to mark my offences1 ,i must be silent under a load of guilt1 and immediately sink into destruction4 ,but thou hast graciously called me to return to thee1 though ,i have been a backsliding child4 ,i come unto thee1 ,o ,lord1 convinced not only of my sin1 but of my folly2 and while ,i implore mercy through the mediation of ,jesus ,christ1 ,i would be no less importunate for the purifying influences of the ,holy ,spirit1 that ,i may be entirely conformed to thee4 ,permit me to bring unto thee those powers and faculties which ,i have ungratefully alienated from thy service2 and receive1 ,i beseech thee1 thy poor revolted creature1 who is now convinced of thy right to her1 and who desires nothing in the world so much as to be thine4 ,i bring to thee a dark benighted mind1 to be illuminated with ,divine knowledge4 ,thou hast the words of eternal life2 ,i therefore resign my understanding to thy teaching4 ,i bring to thee a corrupt and deceitful heart2 do thou cleanse and make it upright before thee4 ,do thou expel all the evils which lurk within it1 and make it a temple for thyself4 ,may the same mind which was in ,christ ,jesus be in me4 ,may ,i possess the same humility which he displayed1 the same indifference to the riches and the pleasures of the world1 the same spirit of zeal for thine honour1 and of benevolence towards man4 ,may ,i ever wear the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit2 be enabled to adorn the profession which ,i hope to make2 and finally be admitted into the kingdom of my ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,and ,i do now most solemnly give myself unto thee1 as one whom thou hast made alive from the dead1 with a firm and unalterable determination to live devoted to thee2 loving thee supremely1 walking in thy fear1 and glorifying thee in my body and my spirit1 which are thine4 ,the practice of self-dedication1 which is often recommended to the young ,christian1 may tend to increase his reverence for ,god1 and to make him more watchful over his own spirit2 but unless he has very clear perceptions of the way of salvation1 it may be productive of essential spiritual injury4 ,for though we are told in the most express language1 that we are saved by grace through faith1 and that not of ourselves1 it is the gift of ,god2 not of works1 lest any man should boast2 yet when the distinction between obedience1 as the fruit of faith1 and obedience as the hope of reward1 is not accurately and perpetually observed1 there is a danger of contracting a self-righteous spirit1 which by aiming at personal perfection for ostentatious display1 or as a source of mental confidence1 may bring the soul into a state of spiritual bondage4 ,miss ,holmes having most solemnly dedicated herself to ,god1 and formed a sanguine opinion of the high capabilities of the renewed mind1 began to prescribe a set of rules for her self-government1 which she resolved to observe4 ,if these rules had related merely to her conduct in social life1 she might have kept them2 but as they included the regulation of the disposition1 and the frame of her mind towards ,god1 they were founded on a mistaken conception of her own ability4 ,they imperceptibly diverted her attention from the perfect righteousness of ,jesus ,christ1 by faith in which sinners are accepted and justified1 to a laborious effort to attain a high degree of sinless excellence2 and as she progressively discovered so many1 and such lamentable defects in her obedience1 the peace of mind which she enjoyed when first she knew the ,lord was destroyed1 and she gradually sunk into a state of despondency4 ,by making this fatal1 yet common mistake1 she was led to the conclusion1 that the attainments of the genuine ,christian were placed beyond her reach1 and that it would be an act of presumption if she attempted to acquire them4 ,an evangelical ministry is instituted to promote the edification of them that believe1 no less than to convert sinners from the error of their ways2 to guard them against those misconceptions of truth1 which may prove injurious to their happiness and spiritual prosperity2 and to explain that mysteriousness which rests over their earlier experience1 when there is a constant1 and often a rapid interchange of hope and of fear1 of sorrow and of joy1 of a bright prospect of future blessedness1 and a foreboding apprehension of future woe4 ,those who attend such a ministry1 partake of the advantages of it1 without being conscious of the benefit which they receive2 but if indisposition1 or any other circumstance1 prevent a ,christian from availing himself of this ordinance of grace1 he may linger for a long time1 especially in the earlier stages of the spiritual life1 in a state of great mental perplexity1 and may gradually sink into a morbid depression1 without being able either to remove or account for it4 ,domestic engagements prevented ,mrs4 ,loader from paying a visit to the ,elms2 but the following letter is a proof of the deep interest which she took in the welfare of her friend1 and also of her ability to give her judicious counsel3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,louisa1--,i am fearful lest you should construe my silence into indifference2 but ,i flatter myself1 that the following explanation will protect me from such an imputation4 ,i was from home when yours of last month arrived2 and since my return1 family matters so engaged my attention1 that ,i have been prevented replying to it4 ,it is impossible for words to express the pleasure ,i felt on the perusal of your first very interesting letter2 and though the degree of that pleasure was somewhat diminished on the reception of your second1 yet ,i cannot refrain from offering you my sincere congratulations1 on account of what the ,lord has done for you1 and is still doing4 ,clouds and darkness are often round about him1 while he is silently and unobserved carrying on his own work2 and when it is not in our power to trace the operation of his hand1 we are required to stand still1 and he will show us his salvation4 ,in the early experience of the ,christian there are many circumstances which perplex and confound him1 and which appear to place his good hope in the most imminent danger2 but it is the province of faith calmly to wait the issue1 which is certain1 and will be glorious4 ,i am not surprised1 my dear ,louisa1 that you should regret having made what you call a premature disclosure of your ,christian experience1 especially as you begin to entertain some strong doubts of its being genuine4 ,this is very natural1 and very common4 ,if the experimental influence of the truth fell under the immediate observation of our senses1 we should be able to mark its progress with the most perfect accuracy2 but as the seat of its first and most powerful operations is the heart--that province which the eye can never penetrate2 and as it merely diffuses itself over the exercise of our intellectual and moral faculties1 without acting alone1 and independently of them1 we almost necessarily1 at times1 suspect whether we have ever felt it4 ,it is true1 we may see a change in our conduct1 and a change in the disposition and temper of our mind2 but as this uniformly takes place in consequence of our full conviction of its propriety1 we may1 especially in a gloomy hour1 be incapable of tracing it up to a supernatural cause4 ,the first impressions of ,divine truth on the heart are generally strong and deep--they produce a powerful excitement of the affections2 and such is the intense degree of interest which is sometimes felt at such a period1 that no variation is anticipated1 except it be some higher and more blissful elevation of soul--some ascent to a spiritual ,pisgah1 from whence the lot of our future inheritance with the saints in light may be clearly seen4 ,but when the mind becomes more familiar with the sublime truths of religion1 they lose somewhat of their novelty2 and though they still retain their ascendency over the judgment1 yet the impressions which they produce become less powerful4 ,this change in the feelings often induces the young ,christian to suspect1 that the cause of its original production must be found1 not in the grace of ,god1 but the uninfluenced operations of his own faculties and passions4 ,it is when the mind is thus variously exercised1 that the invisible enemy of our peace often comes to augment our perplexity1 by insinuating1 that if we were renewed1 the fact of our renovation would be so conspicuous1 that we could never doubt it--that if we did really love the ,lord1 our love would glow with undiminished ardour--that if our faith were genuine1 we should never be permitted to stagger at any of the promises of ,god through unbelief--that if we were made partakers of the ,divine nature1 we should for ever escape the corruption that is in the world--and if our spiritual emotions were actually produced by the operation of a supernatural power1 they would neither subside nor fluctuate4 ,if then1 my dear ,louisa1 you should doubt1 where others have doubted before you1 and if you should feel those causes of perplexity and depression operating on your mind1 under which the faithful in ,christ ,jesus in every age have laboured1 you ought to comfort yourself by the reflection that you are now passing through the usual trials of ,christian experience4 ,if you had no doubts1 you would have cause to fear2 and if you knew no change of feeling1 you would have cause to suspect your change of heart4 ',come then--a still1 small whisper in your ear1-- ,she has no hope1 who never had a fear3 ,and she that never doubted of her state1 ,she may perhaps--perhaps she may1 too late4' ,i am happy to find1 by your last letter1 that you have disclosed the state of your mind to your dear parents2 for while ,i certainly approve of the motive which induced you to conceal it from them1 yet ,i think you have acted wisely in breaking through your resolution4 ,as they so often wept over you1 when you were living without ,god1 and without ,christ in the world2 and have1 with so much fervour1 intermingled their supplications at the footstool of the ,divine throne for your conversion1 it would have been an act of unkindness to have kept them in a state of ignorance on a subject in which they are so deeply interested4 ,you should communicate to them not only the general fact1 that you are now become 'a fellow-heir of the grace of life1' but also the perplexities which disquiet and depress you1 as they are so well qualified to give you that instruction and consolation which you may require4 ,it is by giving vent to the feelings of the soul1 that we gain relief from our most poignant griefs2 and though you perhaps can more readily communicate your experience to an absent friend than to your own parents1 yet1 if you make the effort1 the barrier which obstructs an unreserved disclosure of all you feel1 and all you fear1 will soon be broken down1 and then your spiritual intercourse will be free and unfettered4 ,it will require1 on your part1 ,i have no doubt1 a great sacrifice of feeling1 to take the step which ,i now venture to recommend2 but you know who has said1 ,my grace shall be sufficient for thee--as thy day1 thy strength shall be2 and if you by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving1 make your request unto ,him1 ,he will give you wisdom and strength to follow the advice ,i now offer4 ,i have often regretted your removal from ,london1 especially when ,i found that you are not favoured with an evangelical ministry in the church4 ,this circumstance must operate as a serious drawback upon your social happiness2 and now you are brought to feel the importance of religion1 ,i am not surprised that you should deeply deplore it4 ,you ask me what you are to do1 now you are able to attend public worship4 ,this is an important question1 but ,i feel no hesitation in giving you the advice which ,i have given to others1 who have been placed in similar circumstances4 ,if there be no ,dissenting chapel within a convenient distance1 in which the gospel is preached1 go to your parish church as usual1 to avoid the appearance of ,sabbath profanation2 but if there be one1 ,i think it your duty to attend there4 ,i do not recommend you to secede1 for the mere sake of secession2 but for your spiritual improvement1 which will depend more on a pure evangelical ministry1 than any other secondary cause4 ,some1 ,i am aware1 would urge you to prefer your parish church to a ,dissenting chapel1 even if the minister be an irreligious man1 and to stay there till it shall please ,god to introduce the gospel into it2 but as it is not in my power to reconcile such advice with the injunction of our ,lord1 ,take heed what ye hear1 you cannot expect that ,i can approve of such a course4 ,the eminently devout ,christian loves the habitation of the ,lord's house1 and the place where his honour dwelleth2 but we have no reason to believe that ,god visits any place with the manifestations of his love1 where the minister does not preach salvation by grace through faith4 ,but suffer the word of exhortation4 ,you are now coming out amongst the difficulties of a public profession of religion2 one friend may recommend you to adopt one plan1 and another1 another2 and the more you consult1 the more you may be perplexed1 till at length you may be incapable of coming to any decision4 ,to obviate this evil1 go and meditate seriously on the following passage--',trust in the ,lord with all thine heart2 and lean not unto thine own understanding4 ,in all thy ways acknowledge him1 and he shall direct thy paths4' ,reduce to practice the admonition of the wise man1 and you will find that the ,lord will give wisdom1 as well as strength4 ,i am much obliged by your kind invitation to the ,elms1 and intend1 as soon as ,i can leave home1 to pay you a visit1 when ,i hope to find you in perfect health4 ,remember me very kindly to every member of your family1 and believe me to be1 yours affectionately1 ,e4 ,,loader4 ,one of the most common-place charges which is brought against evangelical religion1 is1 that it has a tendency to make its possessor melancholy2 and if we were to form our judgment of it from the appearance and manner of some who profess it1 we should be disposed to admit its correctness4 ,they not only abstain from all the pleasures and amusements of the social circle2 but habitually wear a gloom on their countenance1 which indicates a singular dejection and moroseness of spirit4 ,but this dejection of spirit1 which we may sometimes discover in a professor of evangelical religion1 is not produced by his religious principles1 but by his sense of personal guilt1 and his want of that assurance of forgiveness1 which the gospel of ,jesus ,christ is intended to convey4 ,he may be permitted to remain for a season1 by the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 whose laws he has violated1 and whom he has neglected to glorify1 under the sentence of self-condemnation2 but when he is enabled to rely on the atonement made by ,jesus ,christ1 and to appropriate the promise of mercy1 he enjoys the peace which passeth all understanding4 ,if then1 we wish to form a correct estimate of the real tendency of evangelical truth1 we must not go to the penitent sinner while he is suffering under the deep convictions of guilt1 as then he is more prone to put from him the words of consolation1 than to embrace them2 but we must go to the established believer1 who1 having received the truth in the love of it1 is enjoying its sacred and blissful influence4 ,he will repel the charge as a libel on his faith1 and unblushingly avow1 that he never knew solid and substantial happiness till he derived it from communion with ,god1 through the mediation of ,jesus ,christ1 and a hope of being presented faultless in his immediate presence4 ,and though the spirit of scepticism1 which is so prevalent in all ranks of society1 may ridicule such an avowal1 as a delusion attempted to be practised on human credulity1 yet surely no one1 on reflection1 can presume to say that a ,christian is not competent to bear testimony to a fact of his own experience4 ,the religious principles which he has embraced1 are represented by those who have never felt their influence1 as having a tendency to make their possessor melancholy2 and yet he declares that he has had more mental satisfaction since he embraced them than he ever had before4 ,whose testimony shall we admit to be most conclusive8--the testimony of those who are entirely ignorant of the subject1 or of those whose knowledge qualifies them to speak8 ,suppose1 for example1 a question to arise respecting the excellencies or defects of a piece of music1 we should not venture to place any dependence on the opinion of a man who has no taste for the science4 ,if we did1 we should expose ourselves to ridicule or contempt4 ,on such a question we should require the opinion of a competent judge2 and ,i appeal to the sound sense of my readers1 if they can allow those persons to pronounce a judgment on the tendency of religion who have never felt its holy influence on the heart4 ,they may express their opinion1 and they often do express it1 but of what value or importance is it in relation to the subject8 ,they may say that its tendency is to make us unhappy2 but how can they prove it8 ,not certainly by appealing to the obvious design of ,christianity1 for that has been so unequivocally announced by the celestial messengers1 that we cannot misconceive it4 ,and the angel said unto them1 ,fear not3 for1 behold1 ,i bring you good tidings of great joy1 which shall be to all people4 ,for unto you is born this day1 in the city of ,david1 a ,saviour1 which is ,christ the ,lord4 ,and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host1 praising ,god1 and saying1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good-will toward men4 ,and if they venture to appeal to the experience of the religious man1 he candidly says1 ,i am happy2 but my happiness differs from yours1 it takes its rise from a different source1 and possesses qualities which are peculiarly its own2 it is more pure1 more exquisite1 more substantial1 because more intellectual and spiritual than yours4 ,my happiness is the peace that passeth all understanding4 ,but when we mention peace1 we mean not the stupid security of a mind that refuses to reflect2 we mean a tranquillity which rests on a tried and durable basis--a peace which1 founded on the oath and promise of ,him who cannot lie1 and springing from the consciousness of an ineffable alliance with the ,father of spirits1 makes us to share in his fulness1 and become a partner with him in his purity2 a repose serene as the unruffled wave1 which reflects the heaven from its bosom1 while it is accompanied with a feeling of exultation and triumph1 natural to such as are conscious that ere long1 having overcome1 they shall possess all things4 ,there are many periods in the history of human life1 when the power of religious principles over the mind commands the respect1 and excites the admiration of the most inveterate infidel4 ,go and see the poor ,christian1 contented amidst his privations--the suffering ,christian1 patient under his protracted affliction--the dying ,christian1 resigned and happy in prospect of his approaching dissolution2 and if you do not pay a spontaneous homage to the influence of the principles which have such an effect in elevating and supporting the soul of man1 when visited by these direful calamities1 it must be referred either to a want of taste1 or to a want of judgment4 ,he is the happy man1 whose life ev'n now ,shows somewhat of that happier life to come2 ,who1 doom'd to an obscure1 but tranquil state1 ,is pleased with it2 and1 were he free to choose1 ,would make his fate his choice4 99 99 99 99 99 ,content1 indeed1 to sojourn while he must ,below the skies1 but having there his home4 ,the world o'erlooks him in her busy search ,of objects more illustrious in her view2 ,and1 occupied as earnestly as she1 ,though more sublimely1 he o'erlooks the world4 ,she scorns his pleasures1 for she knows them not2 ,he seeks not hers1 for he has proved them vain4 ,he cannot skim the ground like summer birds ,pursuing gilded flies2 and such he deems ,her honours1 her emoluments1 her joys4 ,therefore in contemplation is his bliss1 ,whose power is such1 that whom she lifts from earth ,she makes familiar with a heaven unseen1 ,and shows him glories yet to be revealed4 ,,doubts ,,and ,,perplexities4 ,the change which had taken place in ,miss ,holmes1 became the topic of general conversation in the circle of her gay associates2 and though some of them predicted that she would again appear amongst them1 when the fit of melancholy was over1 their anticipations were disappointed4 ,she returned the calls of inquiry as soon as her health permitted2 but she left a deep impression on the mind of all her friends1 that worldly pleasures had lost their charms for her1 and that other and nobler objects of pursuit now engrossed her attention4 ,one of the first proofs of her decision1 was consenting to become secretary to a female branch of an ,auxiliary ,bible ,society1 which was established in the vicinity of the ,elms1 and which brought her into immediate connection with several pious families4 ,having derived so much spiritual benefit from the ,scriptures during her long confinement1 she felt anxious that they should be universally circulated2 and voluntarily devoted a large portion of her time and her influence to secure the co-operation of others in accomplishing this important object4 ,one of the most conspicuous professors in her neighbourhood was a ,mr4 ,corrie1 whose father had attended the ministry of ,romaine1 and transmitted to his son a profound veneration for the memory of that distinguished clergyman4 ,he was a widower1 rather advanced in life1 a man of wealth2 and had residing with him two unmarried sisters4 ,these ladies were amiable and intelligent--zealous and active in the cause of humanity and religion--and their chief delight was in going about doing good4 ,mr4 ,corrie usually spent the forenoon in his study1 while his sisters went forth on their visits of mercy to the cottages of the poor2 and they generally passed their evenings in agreeable and profitable conversation1 or in reading to each other4 ,they often read a portion of ,mr4 ,romaine's ,works1 which they considered the standard of orthodoxy2 and though they were willing to submit every religious opinion to the test of ,scripture1 yet they never thought of subjecting his opinions to such an ordeal4 ,his treatises on the ,life and ,triumph of ,faith1 and some ,letters which have been published since his decease1 they regarded with almost as much reverence as the ,epistles of the inspired writers2 believing that no author equalled him in correctness of sentiment and depth of experience4 ,miss ,holmes1 in her perambulations on behalf of the ,bible ,society1 happened to call on the ,misses ,corrie1 to solicit their subscriptions1 just as they were sitting down to tea2 and being pressed to remain1 she consented to spend the evening with them4 ,their cheerfulness--the spirituality of mind which they discovered in their conversation--the fervent spirit of devotion which was apparent in ,mr4 ,corrie when engaged in family prayer--and the confidence with which they spoke of their interest in ,christ1 operated so powerfully on her feelings1 that she remained with them much longer than she intended2 and when the lateness of the hour compelled her to leave1 she could not do so without requesting permission to repeat her visit4 ,we shall be happy to see you at any time1 said ,miss ,corrie2 and if it be in our power to teach you the way of the ,lord more perfectly1 we shall consider ourselves highly honoured4 ,religious conversation is one of the most useful methods of instruction and consolation we can employ2 but sometimes1 when a false standard of experience is adopted1 it becomes the means of perplexing and distracting inquiring minds4 ,our ,lord taught his disciples1 as they were able to receive instruction2 keeping alive their attention1 while he allayed the restlessness of an unprofitable curiosity1 by saying--,i have yet many things to say unto you1 but ye cannot bear them now4 ,howbeit1 when he1 the ,spirit of truth1 is come1 he will guide you into all truth3 for he shall not speak of himself2 but whatsoever he shall hear1 that shall he speak3 and he will shew you things to come4 ,and on this wise maxim the ,holy ,spirit condescends to conduct ,his process of instruction1 that we may not be confounded by communications which we are unable to understand2 but be led on step after step in the province of ,divine knowledge1 till we are able to comprehend with all saints1 what is the breadth1 and length1 and depth1 and height2 and to know the love of ,christ1 which passeth knowledge1 that we may be filled with all the fulness of ,god4 ,and it is of great importance1 in relation to the government of our conduct towards others1 and for our own tranquillity and spiritual improvement1 that we rigorously adhere to the same maxim2 or we may inflict a wound1 while attempting to impart the consolations of our faith1 and absolutely retard that growth in knowledge which we are anxious to cultivate and advance4 ,mr4 ,corrie was eminently pious1 but a man of rather weak understanding1 and who had associated with but few intelligent ,christians in the earlier part of his life4 ,his first undigested thoughts had grown up into firm and immoveable opinions2 and though he devoted a large portion of his time to reading the ,scriptures1 yet1 owing to the bias of which he was not conscious1 he more frequently searched for passages in support of his own peculiar notions1 than studied them to enlarge his views of the entire scheme of ,divine truth4 ,he was positive1 but not perverse2 inflexibly attached to his own belief1 but not disposed to inveigh against that of another2 and though he imbibed some religious opinions which have done great injury to the dignity and the amiability of the ,christian character1 yet in him their tendency was neutralized by the sweetness of his natural disposition and the fervour of his devotional spirit4 ,he dwelt much on the high points of election and predestination2 maintained with great pertinacity that human nature undergoes no moral improvement1 but remains as impure and deceitful after the great change has taken place1 as it was before2 and he considered an assurance of our final salvation so essential to the nature of faith1 that he would not regard as a true believer a person who did not enjoy an unclouded prospect of eternal glory4 ,these topics bounded the range of his inquiry2 and though at times he would unawares make concessions which compromised their accuracy1 yet when apprized of his danger1 he would step back with singular adroitness1 and resist the force of an argument to expose their fallacy1 by saying to an antagonist1 ,you see through a glass darkly1 while ,i see face to face4 ,if these opinions had been confined within the circle of his own family1 and the few pious friends who were of the same theological school1 he would have done no injury1 as their devotional spirit and habits would have proved a safeguard against their pernicious tendency4 ,but by bringing them forward in promiscuous company1 and by holding them up as essential articles of the ,christian faith1 he often involved the judgment of the young disciple in great perplexity1 and unintentionally threw down some of those barriers which the ,scriptures have raised to restrain the evil propensities of our nature4 ,the effects of these opinions on the mind of ,miss ,holmes may be seen in the following letter1 which she addressed to her friend ,mrs4 ,loader1 a few weeks after her introduction to this family3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,i should have replied earlier to your last letter2 but since my convalescence ,i have been so engaged with my new duties1 as the secretary to our ,auxiliary ,bible ,society1 that ,i have not been able to find time4 ,i cannot express to you in words1 how much pleasure ,i derived from your communication4 ,it came at a season when my mind was sinking into despondency1 and when ,i was tempted to give up my hope2 but the ,lord was pleased to employ it as the means of dispersing the darkness which was hovering around me1 and ,i was enabled to rejoice once more in the light of his countenance4 ,i had gained that elevated spot--that spiritual ,pisgah1 to which you so beautifully allude2 from whence ,i could read ',my title clear ,to mansions in the skies2' and from whence ,i thought ,i should never be displaced2 but alas6 ,i am again compelled to give utterance to a feeling of despondency4 ,i had my fears at the very commencement of my religious course1 that my convictions and impressions1 like the morning cloud and early dew1 would soon pass away1 and that ,i should be permitted to relapse into my original state of darkness and indifference2 yet these fears came upon me only at times1 like a sudden gust of wind in a serene evening4 ,now1 alas6 ,i have to mourn over their perpetual presence and desolating power2 and ,i sometimes think1 the doom of a backslider1 or an apostate1 awaits me4 ,i shudder in anticipation of such a dreadful issue2 and though ,i often pause and listen1 yet ,i hear not the voice of the ,comforter4 ,yet ,i cannot go back2 perhaps ,i may say1 when taking a survey of the more general state of my heart1 ,i move slowly onwards between hope and fear4 ,i have lately formed an intimate friendship with two excellent ladies1 who reside with their brother1 not more than a quarter of a mile from the ,elms2 and in whose society ,i spend a considerable portion of my leisure hours4 ,from the influence of their example1 and from their conversation1 ,i anticipated much spiritual improvement2 but the oftener ,i visit them1 the deeper ,i am plunged in mental despondency2 and though ,i have ventured to allude1 in indirect terms1 to the perplexed state of my mind1 yet ,i cannot obtain from them the words of consolation which ,i need4 ,they and their brother have adopted the views of ,romaine as their religious standard2 and hold his memory in such veneration1 that they rank him next to the inspired writers1 and tacitly condemn all who1 on any religious points1 differ from him4 ,they have lent me his treatises on the ,life and ,triumph of ,faith1 which ,i have read with close attention2 but instead of deriving from them that satisfaction which ,i was led to expect1 they have revived all my former fears1 and invested them with a tenfold poignancy4 ,he says1 when addressing the believer1 ',thou must be first persuaded of thine interest in ,christ1 before thou canst make use of it1 and improve it2 and therefore the knowledge of thy union with him must be clear and plain1 before thou canst have a free and open communion with him4' ,i might have passed over this passage1 without having taken any particular notice of it1 had it not coincided with the belief which has been so often expressed by my excellent friends1 the ,misses ,corrie and their brother4 ,they say1 in the most express terms1 that an assurance of our interest in ,christ1 and of our final salvation1 is essential to faith2 but this assurance ,i do not possess4 ,sometimes ,i have thought that the ,saviour has looked with an eye of compassion on me1 and has raised my desponding soul to the ineffable manifestations of his love2 but ,i cannot say that 'he gave himself for me4' ,i rely on the efficacy of his death for acceptance and eternal life2 but ,i dare not say that my dependence is genuine4 ,in some favoured moments1 ,i have anticipated the blissful interview1 when ,i have hoped to see him as he is1 but ,i cannot speak with confidence--,o no6 ,i dare not4 ,while my necessities compel me to go to the ,saviour1 and plead his promises1 my want of assurance keeps me back2 and thus1 being suspended between these propelling and repulsive powers1 ,i suffer extreme mental torture4 ,but this is not the only subject on which my mind is perplexed4 ,in a conversation the other evening1 when we were tracing up the bestowment of every good and every perfect gift to the free and unmerited grace of ,god1 ,mr4 ,corrie asserted1 with the utmost degree of confidence1 that no true believer in ,jesus ,christ can doubt his personal election to eternal life4 ,this assertion1 made by so good and amiable a man1 and which met the decided approbation of his sisters1 fell upon my ear with all the terror of the condemning sentence2 and from that moment to the present1 ,i have been driven1 as an outcast1 from the promises of mercy1 ,i have read the ,scriptures to satisfy my mind on this point1 and there ,i read of sinners being chosen in ,christ before the foundation of the world--of their being elected according to the foreknowledge of ,god the ,father--of their being predestinated2 but this high point appears invested with such terror1 that my spirit recoils when attempting to approach it2 and though ,i have prayed for faith to receive the hidden mysteries of revelation1 and for wisdom to understand them1 yet ,i cannot believe that ,i am one of the selected number1 whose name has been enrolled in the ,lamb's book of life4 ,but should ,i feel all this terror on my spirit1 when adverting to a doctrine which appears stated1 with the utmost degree of explicitness1 by the inspired writers1 if ,i had that faith which is of the operation of the ,spirit of ,god8 ,should ,i1 if ,i possessed like precious faith1 recoil1 with almost instinctive dread1 from a subject on which my pious friends speak with so much animation and delight8 ,surely there must be some defect in my experience1 which renders me incapable of disengaging myself from the bondage of fear in which ,i am held2 and which holds me back from a participation of that glorious liberty which ,i see enjoyed by the children of ,god around me4 ,there is one point of resemblance between my experience and that of my friends1 too striking to pass unnoticed2 yet1 when reading the ,scriptures1 it has merely served to involve me in a still more perplexing labyrinth of difficulty4 ,it is this--they maintain 'that our hearts undergo no moral improvement when the great renovation takes place1 but remain as impure and deceitful as before4' ,i certainly did anticipate1 when ,i first felt the influence of the truth1 that ,i should grow in grace as well as in knowledge2 and that ,i should attain to a more near conformity to the image of ,jesus ,christ2 but on a close and impartial examination1 ,i am compelled to believe that ,i have made no progress3 indeed1 ,i fear ,i have made a retrograde movement4 ,i do not feel that calm satisfaction1 or any of the blissful emotions ,i felt1 when my attention was first arrested by the unseen realities of eternity4 ,i do not feel that indifference to worldly objects1 which ,i felt when confined to a couch of pain and languor4 ,i am not so deeply affected by the unparalleled love of ,christ1 as ,i was when ,i first viewed him bearing away the iniquities of the people by the agonies of his death2 nor does sin appear so exceedingly sinful1 as when ,i first experienced its bitterness4 ,i am neither so grateful for my mercies1 nor so abased on account of my transgressions1 as ,i was when the light of a supernatural manifestation first threw open to my view my neglected obligations and concealed defects4 ,i feel1 if possible1 more fully convinced of the absolute need of a ,saviour1 than ,i was when ,i first felt the burden of guilt upon my conscience1 but yet ,i am less able to exercise faith in him2 and instead of that peace which was diffused through my heart when ,i first believed1 ,i am sometimes driven to the verge of despondency4 ,i have not yet communicated to my dear parents the present perturbed state of my feelings1 as ,i am unwilling to give one pang of sorrow to their tender bosom2 and though ,i sometimes pray that the ,lord would be pleased to turn away from me the face of his anger1 and comfort me1 yet ,i cannot pray in faith4 ,surely no one else ever felt what ,i feel1 or suffered what ,i suffer4 ,there are two verses in a favourite hymn1 which1 ,i believe1 was composed by the venerable ,newton1 which ,i can repeat with intense earnestness3-- ',lord1 decide the doubtful case2 ,thou who art thy people's ,sun1 ,shine upon thy work of grace1 ,if it be indeed begun4 ',may ,i love thee more and more1 ,if ,i love at all1 ,i pray2 ,if ,i have not lov'd before1 ,help me to begin to-day4' ,i am happy to inform you1 that there is a ,dissenting chapel about three quarters of a mile from the ,elms1 in which the gospel is preached with great simplicity and power1 and where my esteemed friends1 the ,corries1 usually attend2 so that a kind ,providence has made that provision for our spiritual necessities outside the pale of the ,establishment1 which we should have preferred within1 but which is denied us unless we go to a considerable distance4 ,we have attended this chapel regularly for some time1 and are much delighted with the minister4 ,he is an amiable1 unobtrusive man--imbued1 ,i trust1 with the spirit of his ,master--cheerful in his disposition1 but rather reserved4 ,those who are admitted into more familiar intimacy1 speak of him in the highest terms of affectionate respect2 and he is much esteemed by his people4 ,you know we are attached to the ,church2 but1 after mature deliberation1 we are satisfied that it is our duty to hear the gospel2 and as it is not preached by our ,vicar1 we feel it no less a duty than a privilege to go where the ,lord has sent it4 ,our decision has offended some of the anti-evangelical high church families1 who regard the ,church of ,england with as much veneration as a ,roman ,catholic would a relic of ,st4 ,peter2 but we must obey the dictates of conscience1 which will no longer permit us to attend a ministry where the truths of the gospel are not preached4 ,from some of our new clergyman's discourses ,i have derived consolation1 but he has not touched on any of the points of perplexity in which my mind is involved2 and though at times ,i have thought of soliciting a personal interview1 to make known to him all ,i feel1 and all ,i fear1 yet ,i cannot assume a sufficient degree of confidence to do it4 ,indeed1 ,i cannot speak freely on such delicate subjects to any one but to you2 and ,i hope1 if you cannot spare time to pay us your long promised visit1 that you will favour me with your advice1 and ,i know you will not neglect to pray for me4 ,my sister ,emma1 ,i regret to say1 continues to manifest a decided aversion to the things of the ,spirit of ,god--they are foolishness to her2 but ,jane is becoming much more serious4 ,i do not think that she is yet decided1 but ,i hope the good work is begun4 ,i often find her with her ,bible1 and sometimes she retires to her own room in the evening1 where ,i hope she spends some portion of her time in praying to her ,father in secret2 and if so1 ,he who seeth in secret will ultimately reward her openly4--,yours affectionately1 ,,louisa4 ,to ,mrs4 ,loader4 ,when a young ,christian searches the ,scriptures for correct information on the great questions of religion1 and is favoured with the assistance of judicious and pious friends1 he usually passes on from one degree of knowledge to another without meeting with the formidable obstructions and perplexing embarrassments to which he is exposed1 by the conflicting opinions which are prevalent amongst us4 ,the light which shines on the sacred page1 when it comes directly from above1 is clear and pure1 and makes distinctly manifest1 to the judgment and the conscience1 the truth as it is in ,jesus1 in its simplicity and power4 ,but when it passes through a human medium1 it often shines in an oblique course1 throwing into the shade some essential parts of the economy of ,divine truth2 and hence a defective theory is sometimes embraced1 which always proves unsatisfactory1 and sometimes fatal to our peace4 ,it is therefore impossible to exercise too much caution1 in the early periods of our experience1 in the choice of our religious associates1 and of the books which we read2 as it is in the power of error1 whether it comes from the lips of friendship or from the press1 to do more essential injury than the truth may be able to repair1 till after a lengthened period of extreme anxiety and disquietude4 ,and as we are so liable to receive pernicious impressions from the numerous errors which are in perpetual circulation around us1 we cannot depend with too much simplicity1 or docility of disposition1 on the ,holy ,ghost1 whom the ,saviour has promised to his disciples4 ,and ,i will pray the ,father1 and he shall give you another ,comforter1 that he may abide with you for ever2 even the ,spirit of truth2 whom the world cannot receive1 because it seeth him not1 neither knoweth him3 but ye know him2 for he dwelleth with you1 and shall be in you4 ,he shall teach you all things1 and bring all things to your remembrance1 whatsoever ,i have said unto you4 ,he shall glorify me3 for he shall receive of mine1 and shall shew it unto you4 ,hence it is indispensably necessary for the ,christian1 in every period of his life1 but especially when entering on his religious course1 to implore the gracious influence of the ,divine ,spirit1 to guard him against every species of error--to lead him into all truth--and to invest the truth with that holy unction1 which will render it no less a source of the highest intellectual improvement1 than of the most exquisite mental enjoyment4 ,such a habit of dependence on ,divine aid will be an effectual safeguard against the spirit of self-sufficiency1 which proves so fatal to those who are enslaved by it2 and while it will stimulate to mental diligence in searching the ,scriptures1 that we may ascertain what is the mind of the ,spirit1 it will keep us in a state of independence of human opinion4 ,but while ,i wish to point out to the attention of the young ,christian1 the dangers to which he is exposed from the society of his pious yet injudicious friends1 and to bring him into immediate connection with the ,spirit of truth1 ,i would1 at the same time1 guard him against indulging any visionary expectations respecting the mode of ,his instruction1 or the infallible certainty of the opinions ,he may permit us to form4 ,he teaches through the medium of the ,scriptures1 even while the judgment is altogether unconscious of any supernatural assistance2 but ,his communications are restricted to those points in the system of truth which are essential to salvation2 leaving us to form our own judgment on questions of minor importance4 ,hence the agreement amongst the disciples of ,christ1 on what is essential1 and their diversity on what is non-essential4 ,but even when we are taught by the ,holy ,spirit1 and thus imbibe the truth in its most perfect state1 it will not always retain its original power of impression1 but will admit of a partial declension in moving the affections1 even while its authority over the judgment and the conscience remain undiminished4 ,hence the lines of ,cowper are often employed as expressive of the disconsolate state of the heart3-- ,where is the blessedness ,i knew1 ,when first ,i saw the ,lord8 ,where is the soul-refreshing view1 ,of ,jesus and his ,word8 ,what peaceful hours ,i once enjoy'd6 ,how sweet their mem'ry still6 ,but they have left an aching void1 ,the world can never fill4 ,and this cessation of a powerful excitement1 which usually succeeds the first impressions of truth1 is often regarded1 by the ,christian1 as an indisputable evidence of the decay of his religious principles1 when it may be nothing more than a necessary consequence of the more advanced progress of his personal experience1 as the change of the leaf1 from living green to the auburn hue1 is a plain indication that the fruit is advancing in its ripening process4 ,the above account presents an instance1 which has many parallels1 of the struggles1 anxieties1 and perplexities1 which so often beset the mind of the believer on his first entering on his career of ,christian experience4 ,i shall return soon to the continuation of the history of ,mr4 ,holmes' family2 but1 in the meantime1 must beg the courteous reader to accompany me back1 for a short space1 to my own town1 from which ,i have been led by this digression in my narrative4 ,,theatrical ,,amusements4 ,,part ,i4 ,one morning1 while musing on the changing scenes of my eventful life1 recalling the past1 and speculating on the future1 ,i received a letter from an old friend1 requesting that ,i would call on her as soon as ,i could make it convenient4 ,from the tone of the letter1 and some expressions contained in it1 ,i judged she was in trouble1 and accordingly proceeded immediately towards her house4 ,as ,i was passing along1 ,i remembered that1 several years before1 ,i had received a similar note1 written by the same hand1 and in a similar strain of grief4 ,the writer was a widow1 whose husband had been cut off in the flower of his days1 leaving her to provide for their children1 who were at that time all dependent on her4 ,on the occasion ,i speak of1 ,i found her bewailing the alarming illness of her only son1 a youth of about fifteen years4 ,she complained with bitterness that the ,almighty1 who had taken away her husband1 was now about to take away her first-born also4 ,i attempted to bring her mind into a state of acquiescence to the ,divine will1 by reminding her that no affliction came by chance--that he who works all things after his own counsel1 often sends an early affliction1 to prevent a more painful one--and that when he is pleased to take from us our choicest comforts1 it is for our profit1 that we might be partakers of his holiness4 ,she replied that the ,almighty might tear her son from her1 but she could not surrender him4 ,when ,i expostulated with her1 she did not attempt to justify her opposition to the will of ,god1 but excused herself from the affection she bore her son2 and earnestly requested me to pray for him1 and pray that his life might be spared4 ,we prayed together for the lad1 and in due time he was restored to health4 ,having removed soon after this to a different quarter of the town1 ,i had seen but little of him or his family for a considerable time4 ,perhaps1 thought ,i1 as ,i drew near the house of sorrow1 the life of this son is again in danger4 ,he has been spared a few years1 as the staff of his mother's strength1 and now she is inured to her troubles1 he is about to be taken from her4 ,indulgent1 yet mysterious ,providence6 ,the lines of the poet recurred to my recollection with peculiar force-- ,the ways of heaven are dark and intricate4 ,puzzled with mazes and perplex'd with errors1 ,our understanding traces them in vain-- ,lost and bewilder'd in the fruitless search4 ,nor sees ,with how much art the windings turn1 ,nor where the regular confusion ends4--,addison4 ,illustration3 ,,james ,,godwin4 ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,,the ,,mother',s ,,hopes ,,blasted4 ,vol4 ii4 page #agi4 ,when ,i entered the room1 ,i found her reclining on a sofa1 and in tears1 her three daughters weeping apart4 ,though ,i knew not the cause of their distress1 ,i felt at once that some great calamity had befallen them4 ,my presence seemed to revive their grief1 for when they beheld me1 there was a spontaneous burst of anguish4 ,at length1 when nature had given vent to her feelings1 and recovered a portion of that strength which had been consumed by the violence of grief1 the sufferer informed me that her son had brought upon them a deluge of sorrow4 ,without going into particulars1 she requested me to read the following letter1 which was lying on the table3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,mother1--,apprehensive that you may be alarmed by the abruptness of my departure from home1 ,i write to inform you that ,i am well2 and when ,i reach the place of my destination1 ,i will send you my address4 ,i now regret the course ,i have taken1 but this will not bring back my departed reputation1 nor heal the wound which ,i have inflicted on your peace4 ,had ,i taken your advice1 and kept myself from evil companions and vain amusements1 ,i had still been a virtuous and happy man--your comforter1 and the support of the family2 but ,i disregarded your lessons1 and became a regular attender of the theatre1 to the fatal attractions of which1 ,i am convinced1 ,i now owe my ruin4 ,from the theatre1 it was but one step to the tavern and the gaming table4 ,to gratify my passion for the latter1 ,i embezzled my masters' property1 and am now a wretched fugitive from the pursuit of justice4 ,remember me very kindly to my sisters1 and tell them never to enter a theatre1 for it is to my attendance at that place of dissipation1 that ,i attribute my first deviation from the right path4--,your undutiful1 yet affectionate son1 ,w4 ,,harvey4 ,oh6 my poor ,william1 exclaimed his mother1 oh6 that ,i should ever have lived to see this day6 ,our disgrace is all over the town this morning4 ,look at this1 too1 she continued1 producing a hand-bill offering a reward of #ej for the apprehension of ,william ,harvey1 absconded4 ,after perusing these1 ,i expressed my heartfelt sympathy with the family1 and tried to soothe their feelings and offer words of comfort2 but what comfort could ,i impart in such circumstances6 ,in answer to my inquiries1 ,i drew from her1 amidst sobs and tears1 an account of her son1 and the causes which had produced the fatal transformation in his character4 ,it was to the following effect3--,at the decease of his father1 he was removed from school1 and placed in the counting-house of ,messrs4 ----1 extensive merchants in the town4 ,being a lad of strong natural powers and quick perceptions1 active and industrious in his disposition1 he soon made himself very useful1 and within the space of three years1 had so established himself in the esteem and respect of his employers1 as to be promoted to a post of responsibility and trust4 ,he was distinguished from most young men of his age1 by the soundness of his judgment1 and the sobriety of his habits1 and so devotedly attached to his mother and his sisters1 that he made the promotion of their happiness his constant study4 ,in the morning he went to the duties of his station with cheerfulness2 and in the evening1 when the toils of the day were ended1 he either retired to his own room1 to read the amusing or instructive page1 or passed it away in their society4 ,he would often admit1 when conversing with his pious mother1 the necessity of personal religion1 yet he thought some distant futurity a more convenient season for attending to it than the present time2 and hence the strong impressions which he occasionally received1 when engaged in the public exercises of devotion1 were soon obliterated by the tumultuous anxieties of commercial life4 ,but when about the age of eighteen1 he began to feel the necessity of personal religion2 and though he did not suffer its interesting and important inquiries to divert his attention from his secular pursuits1 yet he was convinced that it was no less his duty to be fervent in spirit1 serving the ,lord1 than diligent in his business4 ,his mother witnessed this moral renovation of his character with peculiar delight2 and soon had the pleasure of hearing him lead the devotions of the family both morning and evening4 ,for the space of two years1 he was equally distinguished for his diligence in business and his fervour of devotion1 till at length he fell into the company of a young man who ultimately effected his ruin4 ,this young man was the son of a wealthy citizen1 as accomplished in manners as he was corrupt in principles2 and though he made no profession of religion1 yet he affected to treat it with great respect1 and thus more effectually gained an ascendency over young ,harvey4 ,their first acquaintance soon ripened into the maturity of an ardent friendship2 and notwithstanding the dissimilarity of their opinions1 they became almost inseparable companions4 ,each felt anxious to gain the other over to his own course1 and adopted what he conceived to be the most likely method2 but it soon became apparent1 that evil communications more speedily corrupt the virtuous1 than good communications reclaim the vicious4 ,one of the earliest symptoms of this corruption of principle1 was his becoming an occasional frequenter of the theatre1 a place which1 hitherto1 the pious admonitions of his mother had prevented him from entering4 ,then came abandonment of his home1 and of the society of its inmates1 after the business of the day had terminated1 which broke in upon the devotional order of the family1 and often led to inquiries and remonstrances which were natural1 but painful4 ,these gentle and affectionate remonstrances at first had a powerful effect1 and he was induced to return to his former habits2 but in process of time1 they were either heard with indifference1 or resented1 and he who had officiated at the family altar1 in a humble and apparently contrite spirit1 informed his mother that he should in future decline engaging in such a responsible office4 ,she besought him in the most urgent and imploring manner1 to rescind his avowed determination1 and once more break away from that fatal charm1 which was seducing him from the path of righteousness and peace2 but she could not succeed4 ,he was resolute and decided2 and after this time rarely returned home till very late at night4 ,i have sat alone1 said his mother1 watching for his return1 till one1 two1 three1 and even four in the morning2 and when ,i have opened the door1 he more often abused me for my kindness1 than apologized for his misconduct4 ,having spent his midnight hours in dissipation1 he consumed those of the morning in sleep2 and sometimes did not get to business much before noon4 ,though he foresaw what might be the consequences of his folly and impiety1 yet no arguments were sufficient to induce him to change his course4 ,he grew worse and worse1 till at length he disappeared two days ago1 and ,i heard nothing of him till yesterday1 when ,i received the letter which has thrown us all into such misery4 ,this trial1 which would have been a severe one under any circumstances1 is to me peculiarly poignant2 as it brings to my remembrance my sins4 ,it is now just seven years since the ,almighty appeared to be taking him from me1 and such was the heavenly frame of his mind1 that he was not unwilling to go4 ,had he died then1 ,i should have wept over his grave1 but ,i should have had the prospect of meeting him in a better world4 ,or if ,i had felt resigned to the will of ,god1 he might have been restored to me in mercy1 as was ,isaac1 when the angel of the ,lord forbade his venerable father to slay the sacrifice which he had so willingly bound1 and placed on the altar2 but ,i was rebellious4 ,i prayed for his life1 because ,i thought it essential to my happiness2 and his life has been spared2 but alas1 he is become the destroyer of our peace4 ,it is now1 ,sir1 only two years since he began to turn his attention to religious subjects1 and to lead the devotions of our family2 and though1 like most parents1 ,i rejoiced with trembling1 yet hope preponderated1 and ,i thought he would have been my support and comfort in my old age2 but alas1 the vision of bliss has disappeared1 and ,i am left to desolation and despair4 ,here she paused to weep1 and then resumed her tale of sorrow4 ,i watched his gradual departure from the ways of righteousness with much anxiety1 and made many efforts to reclaim him2 and though he yielded at first to my solicitations1 and made many solemn promises1 yet he broke them all1 and gave himself up to the company of the wicked4 ,the stage has been his ruin4 ,till he entered the ill-fated theatre1 which throws out its unhallowed attractions to beguile and captivate the thoughtless and the gay1 he was one of the best of sons1 and one of the kindest of brothers1 fond of home1 and devoted to his mercantile duties2 but after he had acquired a taste for its scenes and its performances1 he became undutiful to me1 unkind to his sisters1 indolent and extravagant1 unwilling to submit to the control of authority or of reason1 and determined to follow the devices and desires of his own heart1 even though he should plunge us all in ruin4 ,it was in the theatre that he fell into bad company--it was there he lost his strength to resist temptation2 and being once overcome1 he surrendered himself1 a willing captive to the service of iniquity4 ,ill-fated place6 ,there many a virtuous youth has become the victim of sin6 and there my ,william fell1 and in his fall he has destroyed my happiness for life4 ,where he is gone1 ,i know not1 nor do ,i know what destiny awaits him2 but this ,i know1 from bitter experience1 that the theatre will corrupt the most virtuous2 and while it professes to afford only amusement and instruction1 it often becomes the destroyer of personal honour and of social happiness4 ,i retired from this scene1 my mind loaded with anxiety on behalf of the unfortunate family1 deeply regretting that it was not in my power to afford them any effectual relief4 ,i could not reclaim the infatuated youth1 nor yet repair the moral injury which the attractions of the theatre had brought upon the honour and peace of their household4 ,i was grieved by their tale of sorrow2 but it did not surprise me1 as ,i had met with too many proofs of the debasing tendency of theatrical amusements1 to be astonished by such a narrative4 ,i had an engagement to spend the evening of the day on which the above conversation took place1 at the house of a friend1 who had invited me to meet a gentleman from ,london1 an acquaintance of his1 who was then paying him a visit4 ,on arriving there ,i found a small party assembled4 ,in the course of the evening1 after a desultory conversation on various matters1 we found ourselves involved in a close1 though not angry debate4 ,the circumstance which led to this spirited discussion1 was a reference to a recent verdict which had been given against a celebrated comedian1 for a crime which never can be visited with too much severity1 as it tends not only to the corruption of public morals1 but the destruction of private and domestic happiness4 ,it is of importance1 said ,mr4 ,proctor1 the gentleman at whose house we were spending the evening1 that they who lash the vices of the age1 and who hold them up to scorn and contempt1 should be virtuous themselves1 or they will do more injury by their example1 than they will do good by their professional labours4 ,very true1 ,sir1 replied a ,mr4 ,talbot1 one of the party1 who was a great admirer of the drama1 but we must not expect to find the perfection of human nature in a profession which is exposed to so many and such powerful temptations6 ,the perfection of human nature6 exclaimed ,mr4 ,proctor's ,london friend1 ,mr4 ,falkland1 perhaps it would be impossible to find a class of men1 in any single profession1 in which we shall find so little virtue and so much vice as in the theatrical profession4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but1 ,sir1 do you really mean to say1 that the stage never exhibits1 in the private character of its performers1 the beauty and consistency of virtue8 ,surely you are not so uncharitable6 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,i will not say that every one who appears on the stage is immoral1 in the broad acceptation of that term2 but ,i mean to say that the great majority are more depraved in their tastes1 habits1 and conduct1 than the general average of society4 ,this is a fact which ,i presume no one will attempt to deny1 who possesses an accurate knowledge of the character of the performers at our theatres4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,there is1 ,i admit1 too much truth in what you now say2 and how will you account for it8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,to account for it is not difficult--the moral tendency of their profession is a sufficient reason2 and that we may have the most palpable and unequivocal evidence of its nature1 it is allowed by ,providence to operate in the first place and to the fullest extent on the morals and character of the persons who are engaged in it4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,there1 ,sir1 ,i am at issue with you2 for ,i maintain that the moral tendency of theatrical amusements is favourable to the cultivation and growth of private and public virtue2 and though some who are touched with the puritanical spirit of the age1 may assert the contrary1 yet ,i think they will not be able to prove it4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then1 ,sir1 if the moral tendency of theatrical amusements be favourable to the cultivation and growth of private and public virtue1 will you be kind enough to say1 how it comes to pass that the very persons who are employed to conduct them1 are1 in general1 the most profligate members of society8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 ,sir1 they are profligate before they enter the profession4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,but can't men of high-toned virtue be induced to enter a profession1 which is intended to promote the moral improvement of the age--to make us wiser and better8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,very few4 ,the majority are persons of talent1 who go 'through all the vagabondry of life1' and then offer themselves to the stage as a dernier resort4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,they first become profligate1 and then betake themselves to the stage1 as a forlorn hope6 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,they are profligate before they enter on the stage1 which is an evil every virtuous man must deplore4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,and remain profligate after they are on4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,too many4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,the majority1 ,sir4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,perhaps so4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then1 ,sir1 if the tendency of their profession be favourable to the cultivation and growth of virtue1 how is it that it does not reclaim these profligate players8 ,how is it that it does not scatter the seeds of virtue among them1 and raise it to a high state of culture8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 ,sir1 are there not many who wear the gown immoral8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,i fear there are1 ,sir4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,and yet1 ,i presume1 you will admit1 that the moral tendency of the clerical profession and duties is favourable to the cultivation and growth of private and public virtue4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,most certainly1 ,sir4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,then1 how comes it to pass1 if it be so1 that these men still remain immoral8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,permit me to say1 that the introduction of this question is no satisfactory reply to my argument4 ,answer that in the first place1 and then you are at liberty to propose what queries you think proper4 ,if the tendency of the theatrical profession be favourable to the cultivation and growth of virtue1 how is it that it does not reclaim these profligate players8 ,this is the question under debate1 and let us keep to it4 ,we may ramble after we have settled it4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 ,sir1 there are two reasons which may be assigned--their extreme profligacy before they enter their profession2 and the numerous and powerful temptations to which they are exposed after they have engaged in it4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then1 ,sir1 theatrical amusements will not reclaim extreme profligacy1 nor produce virtue where it is most needed8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,perhaps not4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then1 ,sir1 you require a stock of virtue to insert your graft on1 or you do not calculate on raising any good fruit8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,exactly so1 ,sir4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then1 as men of high-toned virtue1 with few exceptions1 cannot be induced to engage in the theatrical profession2 and as it is found incapable of reclaiming the profligate1 we can never expect to find a preponderance of virtue amongst the members of that profession2 and1 consequently1 we are reduced to the necessity of admitting this astounding fact--the men who are employed to chastise the vices of the age1 and to cultivate its virtues1 are1 with few exceptions1 the most profligate in their manners6 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but1 ,sir1 will you make no allowance for men and women who are necessarily exposed to so many temptations in the discharge of the duties of their profession8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,why1 ,sir1 what peculiar temptations to vice ought to stand connected with the duties of a profession which is intended to promote private and public virtue8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 you know they often appear1 when on the stage1 in a rank far above the level of their condition1 which may imperceptibly induce them to cherish those habits of extravagance in private life1 for which they are so notorious4 ,but the most fatal temptation to which they are exposed1 is the too familiar intercourse which necessarily takes place between the actors and actresses on the stage1 which cannot be avoided1 unless the most popular plays are suppressed2 and would it not betray an ignorance of human nature1 to expect that this circumstance should produce no injurious effect on their moral character8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,certainly4 ,you reason very properly4 ,you have given a faithful1 just1 and true account of an evil which is generally admitted4 ,but1 in accounting for this evil1 have you not made a concession which invalidates the correctness of your general position1 that the tendency of theatrical amusements is to promote the cultivation and growth of private and public morals8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,no1 ,sir1 ,i have merely assigned the causes of that general profligacy of manners which prevails amongst players1 as a reason why you should be more indulgent towards them2 and why you should not expect the perfection of virtue to grow in such near contact with the most fascinating temptations4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,i know full well what you intended to do1 and also what you have done4 ,may ,i be permitted now1 to place your leading assertion1 and your last concession1 in one sentence8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,yes1 provided you do it fairly4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,i will attempt it4 ,the tendency of theatrical amusements is to promote the cultivation and growth of private and public virtue2 but the actors and actresses1 who are employed in this good work1 are necessarily placed in a position which destroys their own virtue1 and brings on amongst them a general profligacy of manners4 ,that is1 their representation of vice and vicious characters on the stage often leads to immoral practices in their private conduct4 ,does not this prove that the tendency of their professional duties is injurious to their own morals8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,have ,i not admitted it1 ,sir8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,yes1 and proved it1 at the extreme hazard of endangering your own proposition1 that the stage is favourable to the interests of private virtue4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but1 ,sir1 are there not many who wear the gown1 and who make much higher pretensions to virtue than players do1 who1 after they have given their public lectures on morality1 will retire and sin in secret4 ,now1 permit me to ask1 if the sanctimonious hypocrite is not a more odious character than the profligate player8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,i regret1 ,sir1 that you should overstep the bounds of the question under discussion1 to attack the clerical profession2 but lest you should imagine that you are occupying a position from which no fair argument can displace you1 ,i will for once attempt to follow you4 ,i admit1 then1 for the sake of the argument1 that there are some who make higher pretensions to private virtue than the actors and actresses of our theatres1 who1 after delivering their public lectures on morality1 retire and sin in secret2 but will the vices of one class of men justify the vices of another8 ,if some of the clergy are corrupt1 will the fact of their corruption diminish the magnitude of the players' vices8 ,why you have introduced this charge against the clergy into the discussion ,i cannot say1 as it has nothing to do with the question at issue1 which is the necessary connection between a player's profligacy of manners and the duties of his profession4 ,that is1 that the very performance of his duties1 when he is engaged in promoting the morality of the public1 has a tendency to produce a corruption of his own morals4 ,but you can bring no such charge against the moral tendency of the clerical duties4 ,a clergyman is not compelled1 in the discharge of his functions1 to give utterance to any expressions1 or to perform any actions1 which have even a remote tendency to vitiate his taste or corrupt his morals2 so that if he should turn out a bad man1 you must look for the cause of it1 not1 as in the case of the stage-player1 in any impure and contaminating influence of his profession1 but in the depravity of his nature4 ,if he become immoral1 he acts an inconsistent part1 offers an insult to the sentiments of the virtuous part of mankind1 and loses his place in society--as a man who is a disgrace to his profession1 whose example is in direct opposition to the acknowledged tendency of his ministerial functions4 ,but as a pure moral character is not necessary to qualify a man to appear on the stage1 no one feels at liberty to charge a theatrical performer with inconsistency1 even if he should become notorious for swearing1 gaming1 drunkenness1 or debauchery4 ,he may revel in these vices1 and yet appear before an audience with as much confidence of affording them gratification by his performances as he would feel if he were a man of the purest moral excellence4 ,it is true1 that if publicly convicted of some flagrant offence1 and held up1 through the medium of the press1 as the base wretch who violates the sanctity of friendship1 the admirers of the drama will express a virtuous indignation1 and wish him to perform a sort of quarantine before he again makes his appearance before them2 yet they will never regard it as a lasting disqualification for his professional duties4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,well1 ,sir1 after all the attacks which you have made on the character of theatrical performers1 and the defence which you have set up in favour of the clergy1 ,i maintain that the sanctimonious hypocrite who retires from the pulpit1 where he has delivered his grave moral lectures1 to sin in secret1 is a more pernicious character than the most profligate player that ever disgraced his profession4 ,for do not the vices of the clergy shake our confidence in the truth of religion1 which you know is never done by the vices of the stage2 and is not their example1 in consequence of their more powerful influence over the public mind1 more destructive to the morals of society8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,if1 ,sir1 your belief in the ,divine origin of ,christianity is ever shaken by the vices of its professors1 you give a decisive proof that it does not rest on the legitimate evidence which is offered in confirmation of it4 ,christianity claims a ,divine origin1 and she adduces irrefragable arguments in confirmation of it2 but the consistent conduct of all her professors is not one of them4 ,judas was a traitor1 but his treachery did not weaken the force of evidence which the miracles of ,jesus ,christ supplied in favour of his ,divine mission2 and though it is very common for us to look for an exact correspondence between the life of a ,christian and the purity of his professed faith1 yet if all who profess to believe in the ,christian religion should become as licentious in their manners as the most notorious libertines1 their profligacy would not weaken the evidences on which ,christianity founds her claims to our belief4 ,they would be convicted of the crimes of which they are guilty2 but by what process of fair argumentation could you bring the verdict recorded against them to disprove the divinity of a system of religion which is supported by the evidence of prophecy1 of miracle1 of testimony1 its own internal purity1 and its more than magic power in the renovation and transformation of the most impure and debased of men8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,well1 perhaps ,i made a slight mistake by saying that the vices of the clergy tend to shake our confidence in the divinity of our faith4 ,it would have been more correct to say1 they have a tendency to make us mistrustful of the integrity of the clerical character4 ,but will you not admit that they have a most pernicious influence over the popular mind--more especially on young men who are just entering into active life8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,yes1 ,sir1 ,i readily concede that the vices of the clergy have a more pernicious effect on the morals of society than the vices of players1 because the clerical character is held in higher estimation1 and because the clergy have free access to families who would feel themselves degraded if a player was to be introduced into their company4 ,the clergy who support the dignity of their profession1 as the great majority of them do1 are esteemed and respected--their friendship is highly valued and assiduously cultivated2 but players are doomed to neglect when off the boards--they are shunned in the ordinary intercourse of social life1 and kept in a state of exclusion1 which is something like an instinctive evidence1 pervading all classes1 with a few exceptions1 that they must be kept aloof from the sacred precincts of the family circle4 ,and it is to this sensitive abhorrence1 which the virtuous part of society feels1 against any familiar intercourse with players1 that we are to attribute the comparatively trifling injury which the profligacy of their private character does to the morals of the public2 but if ever this safeguard should be broken down--if ever the line of demarcation which estranges us from them should be removed1 and they should have free access to our homes--allowed to associate with our sons and daughters1 they would introduce amongst us a degree of moral corruption which no authority could check or influence subdue4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but1 ,sir1 ,i have known some players introduced into the highest intellectual circles of ,london and ,edinburgh4 ,why1 it is a well-known fact1 that the ,kembles and ,siddons1 ,bannister1 ,young1 and many others1 were often guests at the mansions of some of the most virtuous and accomplished of our nobility4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,i admit1 ,sir1 that the intellectual eminence of a few of the profession has procured for them an admission into the society of literary men2 but a virtuous public1 and even that part of the public which admires the drama1 with few exceptions1 will not receive them into its private or social friendship4 ,and in the case of the few exceptions into whose circles they have been received1 shall we find no husband or father who has not had occasion to rue the day when he consented to call an actor his friend8 ,it would be invidious to give names1 or ,i could1 from my personal knowledge1 mention some instances of the lamentable results of intimacies with players4 ,enough was brought before the public to justify the remarks of the ,times3--',the conduct of persons who appear on the stage has never been the most irreproachable2 and it may be doubted whether such a mass of living vice1 as the actors and actresses but too generally present in their private lives1 is not more injurious to public morals than the splendid examples of virtue which they exhibit in their theatrical characters are useful4' ,mr4 ,talbot4--,and1 ,sir1 has no unsuspecting family had occasion to rue the day when they received into their friendship the ministers of religion8 ,have they never broken down the fence that guards the sanctity of domestic virtue8 ,have they never been publicly convicted of crime8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,yes1 ,sir2 but when you compare the relative numbers of the two professions1 you will be compelled to admit that there are but very few of the clerical order who trample on the decencies and virtues of social life1 and yet continue to discharge their ministerial functions4 ,only let a clergyman be suspected1 and he is shunned2 but let him be convicted1 and he is disrobed1 and held in abhorrence1 not only by the public1 but by his brethren4 ,and though the light and trifling spirits of the age are fond of traducing the reputation of the ministers of religion1 and often impute to them crimes of which they are not guilty1 yet ,i fearlessly assert that1 with rare exceptions1 they are an ornament to society1 and are not surpassed1 if equalled1 by any order of men1 for sobriety1 chastity1 benevolence1 and all the virtues which bless and adorn social life4 ,mr4 ,proctor4--,i very much dislike the introduction of reflections on the clerical order into these discussions1 because they are irrelevant to the question before us1 and tend to perplex and embarrass it rather than to bring it to a fair issue4 ,the question is simply this1 ',is the moral tendency of theatrical amusements favourable to the cultivation and growth of private and public virtue8' ,it is admitted that the members of the theatrical profession are1 with few exceptions1 loose in principles and profligate in manners2 and our friend has attempted to prove that their profession has a tendency to make them so4 ,now1 ,i think if these amusements are favourable to the cultivation and growth of virtue1 we have a right to expect that the persons who are employed to conduct them should exhibit in their own character the virtues which they profess to inculcate4 ,but they do not4 ,this is a fact4 ,we never think of recommending our sons or our daughters to go to the actors and actresses of the stage1 for models from which to mould their own character4 ,if we knew that they were forming an intimacy with any of them1 we should forbid it1 under a full conviction that such intimacies would sink them in the esteem of the more respectable part of society1 and expose them to the most powerful and seducing temptations4 ,thus far1 ,i think1 our friend has gained his point2 but the question is not yet decided4 ,the players may be profligate1 and a close connection may be traceable between their professional labours and the corruption of their moral principles and habits2 but notwithstanding this1 we may derive great advantage from their theatrical representations4 ',their business is to recommend virtue and discountenance vice--to show the uncertainty of human greatness1 the sudden turns of fate1 and the unhappy conclusion of violence and injustice'--to expose the folly of pride1 the baseness of ingratitude1 the vileness of hypocrisy1 and to prove1 by an appeal to the senses1 rather than by logical reasoning1 that virtue is its own reward and vice its own tormentor2 and surely1 ,sir1 addressing himself to ,mr4 ,falkland1 you will not presume to say that the immorality of 'their private lives' disqualifies us from receiving the moral benefit of their public labours8 ,this1 ,i think1 would be a position which you could not maintain4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,but1 ,sir1 ,i maintain that the frequenters of our theatres sustain1 with rare exceptions1 more moral injury from the representations they witness on the stage1 than they receive moral benefit4 ,your friend ,mr4 ,talbot admitted1 in an early part of this discussion1 that familiarities of expression and action take place on the stage which offend modesty1 and if so1 ,i appeal to you whether such expressions and actions can produce any other effect than an impure and demoralizing one4 ,mr4 ,proctor4--,but these offensive familiarities are not of perpetual occurrence4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,but they are of frequent occurrence2 and when they do occur they taint a pure mind and inflame a corrupt one4 ,the following is a just critique on our popular comedies3--',the ,english comedy is like that of no other country4 ,it is the school in which the youth of both sexes familiarize themselves with vice1 which is never represented there as vice1 but as mere gaiety4' ,mr4 ,proctor4--,i admit the correctness of this statement to a certain extent2 and will confess that ,i have at times wished my children out of the theatre1 from an apprehension of the possibility of their sustaining some injury from what they saw and heard2 yet ,i still cleave to the stage1 for a reason which1 ,i think1 you will not controvert4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,and what may that be8 ,mr4 ,proctor4--,the stage is a source of amusement--,i may say1 of great amusement4 ,it drives away the vapours1 raises our spirits1 and gives an agreeable variety to life4 ,i willingly overlook what is objectionable in expression and action1 for the sake of the high gratification which a good comedy yields2 and so do others4 ,to be candid1 we think less about our virtue than our enjoyment4 ,we must have some sort of excitement to help us to endure the cross purposes and the ups and downs of life4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,i have no doubt but the great majority who frequent the theatres1 enjoy1 even to ecstasy1 the scenes which are exhibited1 and retire from the enchanting place deeply regretting that the dull uniformity of life presents no attractions half so exciting4 ,they smile and laugh1 and even chuckle with delight1 when the intrigue of double-dealing has ensnared its victim--when the lewd debauchee ogles his mistress1 and by some sudden spring seizes her by surprise--when virtue is made to look ridiculous by the tenderness of her scruples--when the doctrines and precepts of our holy religion are caricatured by the profane witling of the stage--and when vice1 disgusting and appalling vice1 speaks out its profanity1 or acts its part with the adroitness of consummate villainy4 ,then it is that 'the feast of soul' is enjoyed1 and the spirits which have been exhausted by ennui1 or by the monotonous duties of a long day's labour1 are recruited1 and the agreeable alterative of the mind takes place4 ,o yes1 the stage amuses6 ,it is indeed an elysium of bliss2 and if it should be closed1 many would weep and sigh who never wept or sighed over a remembrance of their sins2 and deem that life a burden which was given1 not for the participation of such polluting enjoyments1 but for the nobler purpose of deriving pure felicity from the invisible ,fountain of all goodness and excellence4 ,mr4 ,proctor4--,but1 my good friend1 must we be always weeping over our sins1 and never allowed to partake of any pleasure but what arises from religious pursuits8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,i presume1 ,mr4 ,proctor1 you will admit that we ought sometimes to mourn over our sins2 and ought sometimes to devote our attention to religious pursuits1 unless we reject the entire system of revelation as a cunningly devised fable8 ,mr4 ,proctor4--,i think1 ,sir1 ,i am as firm a believer in the ,divine origin of ,christianity as yourself1 though probably we may differ on some high points of speculative opinion2 yet ,i cannot perceive that ,christianity condemns the theatre1 nor am ,i disposed to object to its performances in toto1 because an audience sometimes derives a momentary gratification from scenes and expressions which a severe moralist might condemn4 ,i admit that the stage would derive some benefit by being submitted to a purifying process1 but ,i would rather retain it as it is1 with all its faults1 than have it abolished4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,if1 as ,mr4 ,falkland appears to contend1 the ,christian religion condemns theatrical amusements1 and if1 notwithstanding1 they are innocent and rational1 it then follows that man was not made for the ,christian religion1 although that religion was made for man2 the scandal of such an inference1 and its infallible support of scepticism1 cannot but make it highly desirable to prove that the ,christian religion does not condemn them4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,if they are innocent6 and if they are rational6 ,but ,i maintain they are not innocent2 and1 if viewed as they ought to be1 in connection with our eternal destiny1 ,i maintain they are not rational4 ,but to avoid anticipating arguments which may be afterwards adduced1 ,i at once challenge you to bring forward proof from the ,scriptures in favour of these corrupting amusements4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,i have no positive proof to adduce in favour of them1 as the ,scriptures are entirely silent on the subject2 but is not that silence a strong presumptive evidence in their favour8 ,did any of the apostles ever condemn the theatrical exhibitions of the times in which they lived8 but would they not have done it if they thought their tendency had been at variance with the spirit and design of that religion which they came to propagate amongst mankind8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then1 ,sir1 because they did not in their epistles1 which were addressed to the converted pagans who had renounced their former evil customs1 condemn the gladiatorial exhibitions of ,rome and of ,greece1 you think that a fair argument arises in favour of them8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 if they had considered them unfavourable to the morals of the people1 they most certainly would have condemned them4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,what if the persons to whom they wrote had previously renounced them8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but we have no proof that the early ,christians did abstain from these sources of amusement4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,there1 ,i think1 you are mistaken4 ,we have incontestable evidence to prove that the early ,christians not only abstained from them1 but condemned them in the most unqualified terms of reprobation2 and ,i will now1 with your leave1 read a collection of testimonies on the subject1 with which ,i was lately favoured by a friend3-- ',the ,romans1' says ,ccilius1 the heathen1 in ,minutius1 'govern and enjoy the world1 while you ,christians are careful and mopish1 abstaining even from lawful pleasures4 ,you visit not shows1 nor are present at the pomps2 you abhor the holy games--a melancholy ghastly people ye are4' ',true1' says ,octavius1 'we ,christians refrain from the play-house1 because of its intolerable corruptions4 ,we cannot be present at the plays without great sin and shame4' ,theophilus1 ,bishop of ,antioch1 who flourished about the year #agj1 in his book to ,autolicus has these words3--',it is not lawful for us to be present at the prizes of your gladiators1 lest by this means we should be accessories to the murders there committed4 ,neither dare we presume upon the liberty of your shows1 lest our senses should be tinctured and disobliged with indecency and profaneness4 ,the tragical distractions of ,tereus and ,thyestes are nonsense to us4 ,we are for seeing no representations of lewdness4 ,god forbid that ,christians1 who are remarkable for modesty and reservedness--who are obliged to discipline and trained up in virtue--,god forbid1 ,i say1 that we should dishonour our thoughts1 much less our practice1 with such wickedness as this6' ,tertullian1 who flourished in the same century1 is copious upon this subject3--',we ,christians have nothing to do with the frenzies of the race-ground1 the lewdness of the play-house1 or the barbarities of the bear-garden4' ,clement ,alexandrinus1 who lived about the year #bjj1 affirms that a circus and theatre may not improperly be called the 'chair of pestilence4'--,de ,pdag4 lib4 iii4 ,st4 ,cyprian1 who lived in the third century1 has spoken at large upon the stage1 and after having described the diversions of the play-house1 he expostulates in this manner3-- ',what business has a ,christian at such places as these8 ,a ,christian who has not the liberty so much as to think of an ill thing8--,why does he entertain himself with lewd representations8 ,has he a mind to discharge his modesty1 that he may sin afterwards with the more boldness8 ,yes3 this is the consequence4 ,by using to see these things1 he will learn to do them4 ,why need ,i mention the levities and impertinences in comedies1 or the ranting distractions of tragedy8 ,the folly of them is egregious1 and unbecoming the gravity of believers4 ',as ,i have often said1 these foppish1 these pernicious diversions must be avoided4 ,we must set a guard upon our senses1 and keep the sentinel always upon duty4 ,to make vice familiar to the ear is the way to recommend it4 ,and since the mind of man has a natural bent to extravagance1 how is it likely to hold out under example and invitation8 ,if you push that which totters already1 whither will it tumble8 ,in earnest2 we must draw off our inclinations from these vanities4 ,a ,christian has much better sights than these to look at4' ,st4 ,cyril1 who lived in the fourth century1 in his ,catechism for the newly baptized1 has these words3-- ',you have said at your baptism1 ,i renounce thee1 ,o ,satan2 ,i renounce all thy works and all thy pomps4 ,the pomps of the devil are the diversions of the theatre1 and all other the like vanities2 from which ,david begs of ,god to be delivered3 ',turn away mine eyes1' says he1 'that they behold not vanity4' ,do not then suffer yourself to be led away by a fondness for the entertainments of the stage1 to behold there the extravagancies of plays full of wantonness and impurity4'#ag #ag ,the author is indebted to the late ,rev4 ,mr4 ,simpson for these testimonies4 ,the discussion between ,mr4 ,talbot and ,mr4 ,falkland was here broken off1 but shortly afterwards resumed1 as follows in the next chapter4 ,,theatrical ,,amusements4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,these quotations which you have read from the ancient fathers1 said ,mr4 ,talbot1 merely express their private opinion on the expediency of not attending such scenes of amusement2 but as they were not endowed with the spirit of infallibility1 their opinions may be submitted to the ordeal of examination no less than your own4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,nay1 ,sir2 these quotations do more than express the private opinion of the historians from whose works they are taken2 they record the fact that the primitive ,christians did not attend public places of amusement1 because they knew that their moral tendency was unfavourable to the cultivation and growth of virtue4 ,they also prove that the stage undergoes no moral change--indecent and profane in the olden times1 when amusing ,greeks and ,romans2 indecent and profane still--semper eadem4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but1 ,sir1 do not the expostulations of these writers1 and the arguments which they employ against an attendance at the theatres1 lead us to the conclusion that some of the early ,christians did attend them8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,no doubt1 ,sir1 that some of the early ,christians did attend them2 but their attendance was considered as the first step to the abandonment of their religious principles--as an act of inconsistency1 which subjected them to the censures of their brethren--an approximation to the customs of the votaries of paganism1 which1 if persisted in1 was visited by an exclusion from church-fellowship4 ,this1 ,i think1 you must admit to be decisive of the opinion which the pure part of the primitive ,christians held respecting the lawfulness and tendency of theatrical amusements4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but1 ,sir1 waiving the opinion of the ancient fathers1 allow me to ask you one question3 ,if the moral tendency of such amusements be unfavourable to private virtue1 how is it that there are no express prohibitions against them in the writings of the apostles8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,but1 ,sir1 do you believe that the apostles approved of every practice which they did not expressly condemn8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 yes1 ,sir1 and ,i think there is strong presumptive evidence in favour of such an opinion4 ,were they not employed to furnish us with a code of laws for the government of our conduct8 and is not that code perfect8 ,if1 then1 there be no law to condemn our attendance at such places of amusement1 are we not at liberty to believe that their silence is a tacit1 though not a positive sanction8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,if1 ,sir1 we adopt the principle for which you are now contending1 we shall be reduced to the necessity of admitting that every modification of evil1 which is not expressly condemned by the sacred writers1 is actually sanctioned by them4 ,the absurdity of such an opinion is not more flagrant than its tendency would prove pernicious to the welfare of society4 ,is the crime of gaming1 or bull-baiting1 or of forgery expressly condemned by the ,scriptures8 and yet1 ,sir1 would you venture to appeal to the silence of the ,scriptures as a tacit sanction of these vices8 ,some of the vices to which human nature is addicted1 in every age and in every country1 are expressly condemned1 while others1 which spring out of local customs1 and casual temptations1 are condemned only by implication4 ,as a proof of the correctness of this assertion1 nothing is said in ,scripture against the savage custom of exposing children2 nothing against slavery2 and nothing expressly against duelling4 ,but is not the exposing of children condemned in that charge against the ,romans that they were 'without natural affection8' ,is there not a strong censure against slavery conveyed in the command to 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you8' and against duelling1 in the general prohibition of murder contained in the sixth commandment8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,i admit the validity of your argument1 in its application to the crimes which you have mentioned1 because they are the more refined modifications of crimes which are expressly condemned2 but permit me to say that ,i do not recollect any passages in the sacred volume1 which by a fair implication1 really condemn theatrical amusements4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then1 ,sir1 by your permission1 ,i will quote a few4 ',blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly1 nor standeth in the way of sinners1 nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful' 7,psal4 i4 #a74 ,does not this passage condemn our going into the assemblies of the ungodly8 ',but ,i say unto you1 that every idle word that men shall speak1 they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment' 7,matt4 xii4 #cf74 ,are there no idle--no profane words spoken on the stage8 and if it be a crime to utter them1 can it be less than a crime to go and listen to them8 ',let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth1 but that which is good to the use of edifying1 that it may minister grace unto the hearers' 7,eph4 iv4 #bi74 ,do no corrupt communications proceed from the mouth of players8 and if it be a crime to advance them1 can it be less than a crime to receive them8 ',but fornication1 and all uncleanness1 or covetousness1 let it not be once named among you1 as becometh saints2 neither filthiness1 nor foolish talking1 nor jesting1 which are not convenient2 but rather giving of thanks' 7,eph4 v4 #c1 #d74 ,are there no filthy expressions--no unhallowed jesting on the stage8 and if these vices are not to be named amongst ,christians1 ought they to be sanctioned by them8 ',for the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the ,gentiles1 when we walked in lasciviousness1 lusts1 excess of wine1 revellings1 banquetings1 and abominable idolatries3 wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot1 speaking evil of you' 7#a ,pet4 iv4 #c1 #d47 ,does not the apostle1 in this passage1 commend those to whom it was addressed1 for having renounced their former revellings and banquetings8 and does he not arm them against the reproaches which their exemplary conduct would bring upon them8 and can we suppose that1 if the apostle was now on earth1 he would give his sanction to the practice of some modern ,christians1 who are to be seen1 now at church1 and anon at the theatre8--now receiving the sacrament on bended knees1 and anon kindling into rapture by the exhibitions of the stage8--now giving utterance to the solemn words1 ,o ,god1 the ,father of heaven1 have mercy upon us miserable sinners1 and anon applauding expressions and sentiments which no lips can articulate but the lips of impurity8 ,and1 ,sir1 lest we should1 through inadvertency1 expose ourselves to the hazard of being overcome by the force of temptation1 are we not commanded to 'abstain from all appearance of evil8' 7#a ,thess4 v4 #bb72--to have 'no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness1 but rather reprove them8' 7,eph4 v4 #aa74 ,are not these injunctions violated by those who frequent the theatre8 ,are we not taught to pray1 ,lead us not into temptation1 but deliver us from evil8 and do we not offer a violence to our own belief1 and an insult to our ,father in heaven1 when we pass from the attitude of prayer1 into the place over which the evil spirit reigns in undisturbed sovereignty1 and where temptations of the most seducing tendency abound8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but1 ,sir1 in the application of these passages of ,scripture against an attendance on theatrical amusements1 you have taken for granted that their moral tendency is injurious to the cultivation and growth of private and public virtue1 which1 permit me to say1 without intending to reflect on your good sense1 is a species of logical artifice1 which ,i did not suppose you would condescend to employ4 ,it is an attempt to carry a position by surprise1 which you should have approached openly--a jesuitical manoeuvre to take the question of debate by the adroitness of a sheer cunning1 rather than by fair argumentation4 ,if1 ,sir1 you had first proved that their tendency on the morals of society is1 what you assert it to be1 injurious and pernicious1 ,i grant there would be a propriety in the application of the passages of the ,bible which you have made1 and the contest would soon be terminated2 but1 as that point has not been proved1 and as ,i now challenge you to the proof of it1 allow me to say that your reasoning has produced no effect4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,you are at perfect liberty to examine any arguments which ,i may adduce against theatrical amusements with the utmost degree of severity1 and to employ what terms you please when expressing your opinion of their character1 or of their effect2 but1 ,sir1 you cannot expect that ,i shall submit to your descriptions if ,i think them unjust4 ,you accuse me of taking for granted what remains to be proved1 which1 you say1 is not only unfair but useless4 ,but ,i appeal to your candour if ,i took more for granted than what was tacitly admitted in proof1 if not actually recorded4 ,has it not been admitted1 that expressions are sometimes uttered on the stage which the lips of virgin modesty could not utter8 ,if so1 will you presume to say1 that the quotation which ,i made does not condemn them--',but ,i say unto you1 that every idle word that men shall speak1 they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment8' ,has it not been admitted1 that expressions are uttered1 and some actions are performed in the theatre1 which have a tendency to corrupt the minds of the actors and actresses8 and if so1 will you say that the injunction which commands us to abstain from even the appearance of evil1 does not prohibit our witnessing such actions or listening to such expressions8 ,if this be not proof against theatrical amusements1 what will you call proof8 ,if this argument does not fairly apply1 it is not because it has not strength to strike1 but because you are endeavouring to raise the dust1 that you may bear off your colours to prevent them being taken4 ,but that you may not shout victory on your retreat1 nor taunt me with unfair dealing when you are going down1 ,i will consent to clear the space1 and meet you on the question of the obvious and direct influence of the stage on the morals of society4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,i grant1 ,sir1 that the ,bible censures all indecent and profane expressions1 and that it points the severity of its rebuke against every action which has a demoralizing tendency either on the mind of the performer or the spectator2 but ,i presume you will not take upon yourself to say1 that our best and most popular comedies come under this sentence of condemnation8 ,there are two questions1 ,i apprehend1 which have an immediate claim on our attention--first1 ,what is the design of comedy8 and1 secondly1 ,will the desired result be attained through its instrumentality8 ,in reply to the first question1 ,i will quote the language of the celebrated ,dr4 ,blair3--',comedy proposes for its object1 neither the great sufferings nor the great crimes of men3 but their follies and slighter vices--those parts of their character which raise in beholders a sense of impropriety1 which expose them to be censured and laughed at by others1 or which render them troublesome in civil society4' ,and ,i doubt not1 but with all your rancour against the amusements of the theatre1 you will agree with him in the following opinion which he pronounces on the tendency of such a mode of attack3--',this general idea of comedy1 as a satirical exhibition of the improprieties and follies of mankind1 is an idea very moral and useful4 ,there is nothing in the nature1 or general plan of this kind of composition that renders it liable to censure4 ,to polish the manners of men1 to promote attention to the proper decorum of social behaviour1 and above all1 to render vice ridiculous1 is doing a real service to mankind4' ,this is the design which comedy proposes to accomplish2 and now1 ,sir1 we will1 if you please1 pass on to the consideration of the second question1 ,will the desired result be attained through its instrumentality8 ,by the exhibition of folly and vice1 in the persons of the actors and actresses1 who are held up to ridicule and censure1 a moral effect is produced on the audience1 who retire from such a scene1 where the absurdities of the human character have been exhibited to their view1 infinitely more disgusted by them1 than they ever felt when listening to the grave lecture of censure or condemnation from the pulpit4 ,and ,i think1 ,sir1 you will admit that the worthy doctor has given us a proof of the correctness of his judgment1 when he said1 that1 ',many vices might be more successfully exploded by employing ridicule against them1 than by serious attacks and arguments4' ,and though1 ,sir1 ,i have too much reverence for the pulpit to treat it with contempt1 and form too high an estimate of its moral utility in correcting the disorders of society1 to run it down1 yet ,i doubt whether it can wield such a keen and powerful weapon against the folly and vices of the times1 as the well-regulated and well-conducted stage4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,your last remark1 ,sir1 savours so much of infidelity1 that it is both offensive to my taste1 and repugnant to my understanding2 and though it does not affect the question at issue1 yet ,i cannot let it pass without replying to it4 ,the pulpit1 ,sir1 when it is the oracle of truth1 is denominated the power of ,god--that moral instrument which he uses to renew and sanctify our corrupt nature2 and on which he has conferred the singular honour of employing it as the means of subverting the idolatry of ancient and modern times1 and of reclaiming many thousands of the children of disobedience to the wisdom of the just2 but has he ever identified himself with the stage8 has he ever employed the stage to turn men from darkness to light--from the power of ,satan to himself8 ,o no6 ,did the stage ever recover ,greece or ,rome from their licentious and barbarous rites and ceremonies8 ,it found them corrupt1 and corrupt it left them4 ,and what has it done for modern ,paris1 where it exists in the plenitude of its glory8 ,there you have a proof of the weakness of its strength to reform a people1 and of the charm of its power to corrupt them4 ,indeed1 ,sir1 it requires a high degree of moral corruption as the basis of its exhibitions1 for it will be found that its performers1 and its admirers1 are alike strangers to that elevated moral purity1 which brings the human spirit to some degree of resemblance to the immaculate sanctity of the ,divine nature4 ,hence1 while many who profess and call themselves ,christians1 rank amongst its advocates and its friends1 it is a fact too notorious to be concealed1 that they who are a peculiar people1 and whose moral peculiarities are those which the ,scriptures hold out as the distinctive evidences of the ,christian character1 shun it1 as the habitation of evil1 from whence they are excluded no less by the force of principle than by the voice of authority4 ,a real ,christian in a theatre1 animated and delighted with the scenes which he must behold1 and with the sentiments and expressions which he must hear1 would be as great a phenomenon as a stage player weeping at church when confessing his sins1 or overpowered with gratitude when receiving1 on his knees1 the sacramental memorials of the ,saviour's death4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,i was not aware1 ,sir1 that the accidental expression of an opinion1 which has no bearing on the question at issue1 would have called forth such a spontaneous burst of disapprobation2 and though it would not be very difficult to turn back some of your pointed interrogations to your own annoyance1 yet as that would probably consume too much of our time1 we will1 if you please1 confine our remarks in future to the subject under discussion4 ,to my questions1 ,sir1 if you please4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,well1 ,sir1 then to the first question4 ,you have given such a very flattering description of the design of comedy1 that you remind me of a certain painter who engaged to draw a likeness that should represent a whole fraternity1 but when he produced it1 it was found to resemble no one1 having been sketched from fancy rather than real life4 ,i admit that a comic writer1 of rare and extraordinary powers1 could get up a piece that would keep in view1 through the whole of its plot1 the censure and reprobation of the follies and vices of mankind2 but have the writers of ,english comedy done this8 ,did not the author from whom you have made your quotations speak the truth when he said1 'that the ,english comedy has been too often the school of vice8' ,and is it not so8 ,do not the most popular plays that are acted on the ,english stage exhibit such scenes as must compel virtue1 if present1 to hide her blushing face1 and wish herself away8 ,do they not give utterance to sentiments and expressions1 which1 to say the least1 border on profanity and blasphemy1 and which1 if admired or approved of1 must contaminate and defile8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but1 ,sir1 ,i hope in the ardour of your zeal against the stage1 you will not overlook the distinction which the wisest and best of men have made between the use and the abuse of a thing4 ,i grant that certain abuses1 at various periods of its history1 have disgraced this department of the drama2 but what then8 is it an argument against the thing itself1 any more than the impositions of priestcraft are arguments against the value of true religion8 ,i grant you that the most obscene and licentious compositions have disgraced the stage1 but is the abuse of a thing any objection against its use8 ,licentious writers of the comic class1 as ,dr4 ,blair very justly remarks1 have too often had it in their power to cast a ridicule upon characters and subjects which did not deserve it2 but this is a fault not owing to the nature of comedy1 but to the genius and turn of the writers of it4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,it happens unfortunately1 however1 for your side of the question1 that its abuse has hitherto been almost the universal characteristic of comedy1 while its use has scarcely ever been exemplified4 ,indeed1 ,i defy any one who has a regard for propriety to go to a theatre without hearing something to shock his moral feelings4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 ,sir1 you are aware that no play can be acted on the ,english stage unless it is licensed by the lord-chamberlain1 fourteen days before it makes its appearance in public2 and do you not know that he is invested with full power to prohibit the representation of any play1 if he thinks it militates against the interests of virtue8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then1 ,sir1 if ,i understand you1 it is lawful to introduce any play on the stage which the lord-chamberlain licenses8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,exactly so1 ,sir4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,indeed6 is not this rather singular6 ,but if a licentious play should pass through the chamberlain's office without being detected1 and come to be represented on the stage1 what would be its reception8 ,are you quite sure that it would be hissed off by a ,british audience8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,nothing1 ,sir1 can be a stronger proof of the respect which a ,british theatrical audience feels for pure virtue1 than the well-known opposition made to the re-appearance of ,k----1 after his disgraceful conduct4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,that determined opposition on the part of the more respectable public was very gratifying2 but yet ,i am decidedly of opinion1 that if he had absented himself for a few months1 or weeks1 till the public feeling had somewhat subsided1 he would have met with a cordial reception on his re-appearance on the stage4 ,but he was precipitate1 he did not dream that there could be much more virtue before the scenes than behind2 in this1 so far happily1 he was mistaken4 ,he forgot that many who will connive at the vices of the stage while they remain in comparative obscurity1 or are only whispered abroad in private circles1 dare not1 out of respect to the decent little observances to which they are attached1 connive at them when they are sent out of a court of justice with a badge of indelible infamy hanging about their necks4 ,his precipitancy was the cause of his rejection1 rather than his crime2 for even his greatest opponents promised him their support1 if he would refrain1 only for a fortnight1 from appearing on the boards1 in deference to the taste and voice of the public4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,well1 ,sir1 after the public had expressed their disapprobation of his disgraceful conduct1 and compelled him to perform a theatrical penance1 did you expect them to force him off the stage for ever8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,no1 ,sir1 ,i did not expect it4 ,i know them too well4 ,the vices of the players will never be the means of excluding them from the stage1 if they possess the talent of pleasing the admirers of the drama4 ,these are a humane people whose mantle of charity is so broad1 that it will easily cover a multitude of sins2 and though some of them1 when goaded by the severe invectives of the press1 will raise their indignant voice against the bold transgressor who passes at once from a court of justice1 where his delinquencies have been exhibited in all their enormity1 to the stage1 the so-styled school of morals1 yet the lapse of a short interval will soon induce an oblivion of his offences1 and the charms of his acting will soon re-establish him in the favour of the public4 ,but ,i must now return to the question under consideration4 ,it is not1 ,what will a theatrical audience do1 when an actor is convicted in a court of justice of one of the worst of crimes that can be committed against the sanctity of domestic honour and happiness8 but1 ,what is such an audience accustomed to do1 when a lewd or profane comedy--a comedy which is the abuse of the thing--a comedy which is the school of vice--is brought on the stage1 and acted in their presence8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 ,sir1 ,i presume you know that the public often reject plays8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,yes1 when they are not to their liking4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,well1 ,sir1 then the point is decided4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,nay1 good ,sir1 not till you have proved that their lewdness1 their profanity1 and their demoralizing tendency1 was the cause of their being rejected4 ,prove that1 and you have gained your point1 and redeemed the audience from the heavy charge which ,i bring against it1 of having uniformly given the least degree of support to the purest plays1 and the greatest degree of support to the most objectionable4 ,when the writers of comedy mix up with their plots incidents which we could not tolerate in virtuous life1 and introduce characters in their scenes which we should shun as the corrupters of our manners1 and do this to excite ridicule and contempt against the religion of our country by holding pious people up to obloquy1 the audience have uniformly exclaimed1 ',ah1 ah1 so we would have it6 ,this is to our taste6' ,the play is again and again called for4 ,what you call the abuse of the thing1 has been1 and still is1 more popular than the thing existing in what you call its purity4 ,how will you account for this1 unless you admit that the taste of the audience is formed from the character of their amusements1 which tend to deprave and vitiate it8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 ,sir1 ,i admit that many who attend our theatres are persons of dubious virtue2 yet1 formerly a great play-goer1 ,i can flatly contradict this imputed propensity on the part of the public to applaud a licentious play4 ,i have always heard noble sentiments echoed in public applause1 and1 on several occasions1 the lurking remains of the old broad comedy received with marked disapprobation4 ,and whatever be the opinion of those who do not go to the theatre1 these facts will be corroborated by all who do4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,you say that all who go to plays corroborate the facts that noble sentiments are always applauded1 and obscene expressions are marked with disapprobation4 ,now1 ,sir1 ,i can flatly contradict this assertion1 though not from personal observation1 yet from undoubted testimony4 ,i grant that fine passages1 delivered in an eloquent style1 and which breathe the noble sentiments of patriotism1 and valour1 and benevolence1 and indignation against some unpopular vice1 are heard with pleasure2 but the self-same audience1 which makes the house ring with its acclamations on these occasions1 not only silently sanctions but likewise loudly applauds profanity and indecency at other times4 ,if this be not the case1 how is it that the plays1 which are the school of vice1 still appear on the stage1 and still retain their hold on popular favour8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,what plays do you refer to8 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,why1 ,sir1 ,the ,hypocrite is one4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,the ,hypocrite6 ,what6 do you object to ,the ,hypocrite8--,a comedy which was applauded by royalty1 and in which a striking example is afforded of the attempt of fanaticism to undermine the principles and well-being of society for its own individual advantage1 under the specious garb of religion6 ,surely1 you must be a very fastidious person indeed1 to find anything objectionable in that most excellent comedy6 ,i can hardly think you are serious4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,the design of that comedy is to hold up personal piety to ridicule and contempt1 by associating it with the weakness of the intellect1 the vulgarity of unpolished manners1 and the vices of the human character2 and though the writer makes an effort at the conclusion to redeem it from such an imputation1 yet such is its obvious tendency1 and such is the effect which it is known to produce on an audience4 ,but as ,i wish to shape my objections into a tangible form1 allow me to say that the introduction and exposure on the stage of any person making pretensions to elevated piety is1 of itself1 an objectionable feature1 and more calculated to excite prejudice against all professions of religion1 than to induce the hypocrite to throw off the mask4 ,is this favourable to the cultivation and growth of virtue8 ,it may be of the virtue of a theatrical audience1 which reaches not the maturity of its growth till it has acquired the art of caricaturing righteousness1 after it has been accustomed to make a mock of sin2 but it is destructive of that pure religion which teaches us to avoid all 'foolish talking and filthy jesting2' and to correct our personal imperfections1 instead of making sport with the vices of others4 ,i have read this disgusting comedy1 and ,i do not hesitate to say1 that its indecent allusions and profane language1 are enough to corrupt any mind2 and that the woman who can retire from the theatre after the curtain drops with a desire to see it performed again1 must have lost all that refined delicacy of feeling which forms the greatest ornament of her sex4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,stop1 ,sir6 ,i cannot allow this libel to be pronounced1 without entering my protest against it4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,no1 ,sir1 it is not a libel4 ,the allusions1 the language1 and some of the actions of that play1 are more becoming a house of ill-fame than the school of virtue1 as you wish me to believe the play-house is2 and ,i am conscious that no decent persons1 in any rank of life1 would tolerate such allusions or actions in their families4 ,allow me to ask one question1 ,what opinion would you form of a female who would consent to read that comedy in the presence of an indiscriminate assemblage of young people8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,of course1 ,sir1 ,i should not solicit her to do it4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,but suppose she was solicited to do it1 and suppose she did it without faltering and without blushing1 what opinion would you form of her modesty1 or of the tone of her mind8 ,would you like that female to be either your mother1 your wife1 your sister1 or your daughter8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,perhaps not4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,so ,i presume2 for1 as the poet says-- ',immodest words admit of no defence1 ,for want of decency is want of sense4' ,if1 then1 you would not like to hear a female read that play in a private party1 especially if that female was your own daughter1 how can you attempt to justify your conduct in wishing her to go and see it performed8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,why1 there is a little difference between the two cases4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,yes1 ,i grant there is a little difference between the circumstances of the two cases2 but1 ,sir1 ,i appeal to your candour and to your judgment1 whether that comedy1 when acted on the stage1 can promote the growth of virtue1 which would have a demoralizing effect if read in a private circle8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,in a theatre1 each one is lost in the mass of the audience1 and hence no immediate effect is produced4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then1 ,sir1 how can the stage1 when it exists in its purity1 promote the growth of virtue1 and how1 when it is abused1 does it become the school of vice1 if no immediate effect is produced by the sentiments and actions which are there delivered and performed8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,i mean1 ,sir1 that a female does not sustain that injury in the opinion of others1 who goes to see this comedy performed1 which she would1 if she read it to a promiscuous assembly4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,i grant it1 ,sir2 but will her imagination sustain no injury by the polluting impressions which it will receive8 ,will her moral taste sustain no injury by the obscene sentiments and allusions which she will hear8 ,will she retire as pure from all corrupt associations1 as she was when she first entered the theatre8 ,will her memory carry away no expression which you would rather she would forget8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,but1 ,sir1 when people become familiar with the stage1 none of these evil effects are ever felt1 which you imagine must be the consequence of their attendance4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,they may not be felt so forcibly as at first1 because by habit the taste becomes reconciled to them1 which proves that the stage lowers the high tone of virtue1 and brings it down so softly and so imperceptibly on a level with impurity1 that eventually its more disgusting forms and expressions merely excite the passing smile or the burst of laughter4 ',vice is a monster of such frightful mien1 ,as to be hated1 needs but to be seen2 ,yet seen too oft1 familiar with her face1 ,we first endure1 then pity1 then embrace4' ,mr4 ,talbot4--,it is no use1 ,sir1 to argue against facts4 ,i have gone to the theatre without being injured by it2 and ,i have known many of my friends who have never been injured by it4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,it may be so2 but would you like a son or a daughter to acquire a passion for theatrical amusements8 ,and would you suffer them1 if they had acquired it1 to go alone8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,no1 ,sir1 ,i should not like my children to become passionately fond of the theatre1 though ,i should not object to their occasional attendance1 yet ,i would not suffer them to go alone4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,not like them to become passionately fond of an amusement1 which is intended and calculated to promote the growth of their virtues6 ,surely1 good ,sir1 you don't wish their virtues to be stunted for want of nutriment2 and though ,i can easily conceive that the expense attending this source of gratification and moral improvement1 may form one formidable objection against its repeated indulgence1 yet1 can money be better laid out1 than on the cultivation of our children's virtuous principles and habits8 ,suppose1 for example1 you have a son who is somewhat inclined to an evil course--one1 over whose mind the grave lectures of morality which the clergy deliver have lost their influence--who is rather prone to treat parental authority with contempt2 would you not wish to see him cherish a passion for theatrical exhibitions1 which1 according to the opinion of ,mr4 ,proctor1 and in which opinion you concur1 are designed and adapted to recommend virtue and discountenance vice2 and thus prove1 by an appeal to the senses1 rather than by a process of reasoning1 that virtue is its own reward1 and vice its own tormentor8 ,if he should feel no deep interest in these exhibitions1 it is not likely that they will produce any more powerful effect on his mind1 than the grave lectures of morality which he instinctively abhors2 but if his passions are strongly excited1 and he returns to this school of wisdom and of virtue1 con amore--if he cannot refrain from going1 without doing violence to his feelings--if he long for the hour of evening dress1 and for the agreeable alterative of mind1 which is to divert him from the dull1 monotonous duties of his station--if he enter into the spirit of the comedy1 which usually makes a libertine the most attractive character in the piece--or if the spirit of that character enters into him--do you not suppose that he will soon be reclaimed from vice1 and be so smitten with the charms of virtue1 as to follow her through evil and through good report8 ,and suppose several such young men should meet in the lobby of a theatre1 which you know1 ,sir1 is not impossible2 and suppose they should sit together during the play1 and should retire together1 after the curtain falls1 and the last charms of the comic muse have passed from the eye and the ear1 do you not think that they will very naturally begin to resolve on amending their evil course1 and as naturally resolve to become chaste1 and temperate1 and domesticated in their habits8 ,of course you cannot for a moment imagine that they will retire from this school of virtue to the tavern or the brothel6 ,no1 ,sir6 ,the comic muse would stand in their way1 and dispute their passage1 even if they should have a secret predilection for such haunts2 as a dumb ass once reproved the madness of a certain prophet1 on whose mind no other agent of persuasion could operate6 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,satire is no argument1 ,sir4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,but it often puts forth a biting one1 from under the folds of its concealment2 yet1 as you seem to dislike it1 ,i will dismiss it1 and return to the more grave form of debate4 ,permit me1 then1 to ask you1 if the company into which the young are introduced at a theatre1 does not form a very powerful objection against it8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,this is an objection against theatrical amusements1 which ,i have been expecting to make its appearance for some time2 and now it is out1 ,i am not unwilling to meet it4 ,i will then confess1 'that the ,english box lobbies are too much disgraced by the open display of female prostitution1' and that too many of the baser sort of our own sex frequent the theatre2 yet1 as the wisest and the best are always to be found in attendance on the comic muse1 we may very easily keep with them1 and thus avoid that contagion of evil1 to which you imagine we are necessarily exposed4 ,we know that vice1 like every other marketable commodity1 will be offered for sale in all great public assemblages4 ,but1 ,sir1 can you see the vast majority of an audience rivetted on the scenic representation1 without confessing that many a youthful passion is preserved from the out-of-doors temptation to vice1 by this intellectual occupation of his time within8 ,london1 and all large towns1 are1 by reason of their congregated numbers1 hotbeds of vice2 you know licentiousness would find other haunts1 and not be one whit limited by the suppression of the theatre2 it would be hard1 indeed1 that virtue should imprison itself1 because vice frequented the same resort2 on that principle we might not walk the great streets of the metropolis1 in broad day light1 because of the 'polluted' neighbours on all sides4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,then you admit that the theatre is one of the haunts of vice2 and yet you say that the wisest and the best are always to be found in attendance there1 and from choice6 ,how odd1 that the wisest and the best of our wise and good men and women1 young and old1 should choose to go where the most profligate and licentious resort6 ,surely1 you will not adduce their conduct on this point1 as a conclusive argument in favour of their superior wisdom1 or their superior love of virtue6 ,you say1 if we go1 we may keep with them6 ,but1 how shall we know the wisest and the best from the most depraved1 in such a promiscuous throng as usually crowd a theatre8--,from instinct8 or from some secret sign which1 like that of the ,masonic order1 is concealed from every one but the initiated8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,when ,i go to the theatre1 if ,i go alone1 ,i keep apart from others2 and if ,i go in company1 ,i keep with them2 so that ,i have no intercourse with the general audience4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,very possibly2 but do all who attend the theatre adopt the same judicious maxim8 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,they may if they choose1 and if they do not1 they alone are to blame4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,yes1 they may6 but do they8 ,no1 ,sir1 they do not6 ,is it not there that the evil spirits of impurity spread their nets for thoughtless and unsuspecting youth8 ,is it not there that he often picks up an acquaintance1 who leads him1 after the play is concluded1 to the tavern--to the gaming-table--and to the house of ill-fame8 ,is it not there1 that the profligate female practises her arts of seduction1#ah that he learns a profane language1 and familiarizes himself with vice in its most disgusting forms8 ,is it not to this school of virtue--to this resort of the wisest and the best--to this elysium of bliss--to this paradise of excellence--that many of the young of both sexes have ascribed their ruin8 ,wonder1 ,o ye heavens1 and give ear1 ,o earth6 ,the school of virtue teaching vice6--the resort of the wisest and the best the haunt of the most licentious6--the elysium of bliss the common receptacle of outcast misery6--where iniquity reigns1 as in the high place of its dominion1 and on which thousands look in all the bitterness of anguish1 as the spot where they fell from their original purity and honour to degradation and crime6 #ah ,an intelligent gentleman1 who had served the office of constable in a large midland town1 once remarked to the author1 ,i observed the number of prostitutes was considerably increased very soon after the opening of the theatre2 many also coming from neighbouring towns during the theatrical season4 ,strange1 indeed1 if the stage be the school of virtue1 that these pests of society should always be found existing near it6 ,when we see the vultures flying towards any particular spot1 there we may expect to find death and corruption4 ,mr4 ,talbot4--,you can paint1 ,sir4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,but not the theatre as it is4 ,that's impossible4 ,i cannot describe the evils1 the contaminating evils1 to which a young person is exposed who visits this haunt of vice--this dwelling-place of sin--this temple of lewdness1 of whose priests and priestesses 'it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret'--this ,augean stable of infamy1 which no waters have ever been able to cleanse4 ,you say1 that while the youth is within the theatre he is preserved from the temptations which are out of doors--a truism no one will doubt2 and so he is1 when in a gaming-room1 and so he is when in a tavern2 but1 ,sir1 is he not1 when coming away from the theatre1 exposed to the out-door temptations1 and very often prepared1 by what he sees and hears1 to yield more easily to them4 ,the following fact1 which is too well attested to be denied1 lets us into the awful secret of the tendency of theatrical exhibitions2 and if it were necessary1 ,i could adduce many instances of the most promising young men1 and of the most amiable females1 who1 by frequenting a theatre1 have lost their character2 blasted their prospects of happiness for life1 and brought down the gray hairs of their parents with sorrow to the grave3-- ',the robberies committed daily in the streets1 during the representation of the ,beggar's ,opera1 were beyond the example of former times2 and several thieves and robbers confessed in ,newgate1 that they raised their courage in the playhouse by the songs of their hero1 ,macheath1 before they sallied forth on their desperate nocturnal exploits4 ,so notorious were the evil consequences of its frequent representation become1 that the ,middlesex justices united with ,sir ,john ,fielding in requesting ,mr4 ,garrick to desist from performing it1 as they were of opinion that it was never represented on the stage1 without creating an additional number of real thieves4' ,thus we see the debt of gratitude which the morality of the public soon contracted with this agent of its reformation1 who1 for sixty-three nights in succession1 during the first season of his labours1 delivered his maxims of wisdom1 and his lessons of virtue1 which1 by some peculiar fatality1 became the means of corrupting the audience to a most alarming extent2 but to hold the stage responsible for this1 would be1 of course1 a breach of the law of charity6 ',the second season of this opera was as productive as the first2 nor were the provincial stages without their gleanings from the poet's harvest2 it was acted fifty nights at ,bath and ,bristol4 ,not only ,ireland1 ,wales1 and ,scotland1 but ,minorca1 and other distant regions1 saw it in their theatres2 while its songs were everywhere to be read on fans1 handkerchiefs1 and fire-screens4' ,wherever this thief-maker went1 he was received with raptures by the admirers of the drama2 they sung his praises and gave him the homage of their affection as the idol god of their theatrical adorations1 and he had1 like ancient ,moloch1 the high gratification of seeing many of his devoted worshippers doomed to an untimely destruction4 ,and yet1 ,sir1 with such facts staring you in the face--with such confessions of convicted guilt--you have the temerity to maintain that the theatre is favourable to the cultivation and the growth of public and private virtue6 ,can you hope to gain proselytes to your opinion8 ,do you imagine that we are to be duped into the admission of an assertion which no argument can support1 which recorded facts so unequivocally disprove1 and which the worst men1 in common with the best1 reject as an insult offered to the obvious dictates of their understanding8 ,do you suppose that we have reached the dotage of our existence1 when the intellect1 paralyzed by some extraordinary visitation of ,heaven1 or worn out by the intensity of its own labours1 is to sit down at the feet of absurdity1 to receive the monstrous extravagancies of convicted falsehood as the lucid and resistless enunciations of oracular truth8 ,no1 ,sir4 ,a general belief is gone abroad1 and it exists no less firmly amongst many of the admirers of the drama1 than amongst its most determined opponents1 that while the stage may be vindicated as a source of amusement1 an attempt to vindicate it as the handmaid of virtue is no less disreputable to the understanding1 than it is to the moral taste of the advocate1 who1 however dexterous he may be in his pleadings1 labours under the disadvantage of appearing in court1 after the judges have taken the verdict of an honest jury4 ,mr4 ,proctor4--,i am now1 ,sir1 decidedly of your opinion on this point2 though ,i must confess ,i have often enjoyed a good play4 ,the stage1 in its present state1 amuses many1 and gratifies their taste1 but it certainly does defile the imagination1 and too often pollutes the heart2 and where one young person receives any moral good1 very many1 ,i do believe1 are corrupted and ruined4 ,it may be defended as a source of amusement1 but it is no handmaid of virtue2 it is a very demon in the art of seduction4 ,i had many qualms of conscience1 when ,i did go to the theatre2 but it is now more than two years since ,i entered one1 and ,i must confess1 that the present discussions have satisfied me1 that ,i have acted a wise and a safe part by abstaining from going2 nor will ,i ever go again1 or allow any child of mine to go4 ,in fact1 ,i think it would be a public good1 to shut up all the theatres in the country4 ,mr4 ,falkland4--,my respected friend1 ,i assure you1 ,i am highly gratified to hear from your lips1 such a candid confession and such a noble resolve2 and ,i think my formal antagonist in these discussions1 on cool reflection1 will admit1 that a passion for theatrical amusements had better be repressed than encouraged2 as it is always hazardous1 and sometimes fatal1 especially to the young and incautious4 ,,unitarianism ,,renounced4 ,the power of early impressions and education is universally admitted2 and when erroneous views have been imbibed from infancy1 and become associated with everything that is hallowed in our domestic recollections1 the influence exercised by them on the mind is so strong as very generally to maintain undisputed authority throughout life4 ,truth will sometimes1 however1 assert her supremacy1 and succeed in producing conviction1 even where she has to contend with the most deep-rooted feelings and long-cherished prejudices4 ,these remarks are suggested by the history of ,mr4 ,macfarlane1 an intelligent and pious young man1 whom ,i met at the house of ,mr4 ,proctor1 on the occasion of the discussion narrated in the foregoing chapters4 ,i had frequently heard of him from a friend1 of whose church he was a member1 and been led to take a great interest in him from the account which had been given me of his religious history and that of his sister4 ,this ,i shall now proceed to narrate1 as exhibiting the progress1 from the frigid zone of ,unitarianism1 to the warmth and sunshine of pure evangelical religion4 ,mr4 ,macfarlane's father was a wealthy merchant in the town where ,i resided1 universally esteemed for his amiable character and unsullied integrity4 ,descended from ancestors who had borne a distinguished part in the struggles for civil and religious liberty during the seventeenth century1 he was himself the son of pious parents1 but their death1 within a short period of each other1 while he was but a child1 deprived him of the advantages which he might have derived from their example and instructions4 ,left to the care of a maternal uncle1 whose sentiments were of no decided order1 he grew up to manhood with no one to guide him in his religious belief2 and having1 on his first entering into business1 formed an intimacy with some zealous ,unitarians1 he imbibed their opinions1 and regularly attended the ministry of one of their most celebrated preachers4 ,he was too eager in the pursuit of wealth to devote much time to speculative inquiries1 and of too retiring a disposition to take any part in discussion when theological topics became the subject of conversation2 but he cheerfully and conscientiously supported the benevolent institutions connected with his denomination1 which he thought the most enlightened and intelligent in the kingdom4 ,while he admitted the truth of the ,christian religion1 he thought its records so ambiguous1 or so corrupted in the early ages1 that they ought not to be implicitly received4 ,i will believe nothing1 he often used to say1 which ,i cannot fully comprehend2 and ,i feel myself as much at liberty to dispute the opinion of an apostle1 when he speaks on any speculative doctrine1 as ,i do to examine the opinion of any other man4 ,he rejected the divinity of ,jesus ,christ as indignantly as a ,christian would the divinity of the pagan deities--often expressed his surprise that any enlightened man could be brought to believe in the doctrine of the atonement--and regarded the belief in the reality of a supernatural influence over the human mind1 as one of the corruptions of ,christianity1 which exposed it to the ridicule and contempt of infidels4 ,but though a decided ,unitarian1 he did not condemn those who differed from him1 believing that the ,supreme ,being is altogether regardless of our speculative opinions1 if we do justice1 love mercy1 and walk humbly with him4 ,if we are virtuous in this life we shall be happy in the life to come1--was with him a favourite saying4 ,he was the living personification of the social virtues2 and justly esteemed for his kindness1 his generosity1 his integrity1 and universal benevolence4 ,mr4 ,macfarlane1 ,senior1 was a widower1 with two children1 a son and daughter1 who1 at the time ,i speak of1 were between twenty and thirty years of age4 ,the son was in business with his father1 and the daughter managed the household affairs4 ,miss ,macfarlane was a young lady of amiable temper1 retired in her habits1 fond of reading1 and devoted to the promotion of the happiness and comfort of her father and brother4 ,as she had a good deal of leisure at her disposal1 she was employed as the almoner of her father's bounty2 and took much pleasure in this work of mercy4 ,she was somewhat religiously inclined2 but as the system of religion under which she was educated possessed no power to interest the heart1 her religion was confined to a cold assent to a few speculative opinions1 and the observance of some external ceremonies4 ,she occasionally read the ,bible1 but from her religious training she yielded no submission to its authority2 and1 as a natural consequence1 she was strongly prejudiced against the evangelical sentiments of orthodox ,christians4 ,though she had several friends belonging to their number1 and among others ,miss ,reynolds1 a young lady of decided piety1 yet even with her1 notwithstanding their great intimacy1 she invariably declined to enter into conversation on the subject4 ,she usually accompanied her father and her brother on the ,sabbath to the ,unitarian chapel1 where the celebrated ,dr4 ,r---- preached1 to whose ministry they were all much attached4 ,on one occasion he delivered a discourse from the beautiful words of the psalmist3--,thou wilt shew me the path of life3 in thy presence is fulness of joy2 at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore 7,psalm xvi4 #aa74 ,after an eloquent dissertation on the nature of the ,deity1 and the assistance afforded by ,him to those following the arduous path of virtue1 he concluded thus3--,supposing the ideas which ,i have set before you to be no more than the speculations of a contemplative mind1 such as were wont of old to be indulged by the philosophers of the ,platonic school1 still they would deserve attention1 on account of their tendency to purify and elevate the mind4 ,but when they are considered in connection with a revelation which we believe to be ,divine1 they are entitled to command1 not attention only1 but reverence and faith4 ,they present to us such high expectations as are sufficient to determine every reasonable man to the choice of virtue1 to support him under all his present discouragements1 and to comfort him in the hour of death4 ,justly may they excite in our hearts that ardent aspiration of the psalmist3--',my soul thirsteth for ,god1 for the living ,god2 ,o6 when shall ,i come1 and appear before him8' ,but with this wish in our hearts1 never1 ,i beseech you1 let us forget what was set forth in the first part of this discourse2--that in order to arrive at the presence of ,god1 the path of life must previously be shown to us by him1 and that in this path we must persevere to the end4 ,these two things cannot be disjoined--a virtuous life and a happy eternity4 ,as they were conversing together in the evening of the ,sabbath1 a reference was made to this discourse1 when young ,macfarlane expressed the high degree of pleasure which it had given him4 ,i never1 he remarked1 heard a more interesting sermon4 ,what a sublime prospect does ,christianity open before us6 ,i wonder how any intelligent person can reject it4 ,yes1 said his father1 it was a very judicious sermon4 ,i was much delighted with it4 ,we have something to look forward to when it shall please ,god to remove us by death2 for as ,i have often told you1 ,if we are virtuous in this life1 we shall be happy in the life to come4 ,but1 father1 said the son1 after a short pause1 if only the virtuous can attain to a state of felicity in heaven1 as we were informed this morning1 what will become of the wicked8 ,i cannot tell2 and ,i think that ,dr4 ,r---- displayed his accustomed good sense in making no reference to them4 ,but1 father1 we know that the majority in every age1 and in every country1 are wicked2 and it strikes me1 though ,i confess ,i have never thought on the subject before1 that if the ,deity condescended to reveal a system of religion1 to promote the present and future happiness of his creatures1 he would reveal one that is adapted to the moral condition of the majority1 rather than to that of the select few4 ,we have nothing to do with others2 it is enough for us to know1 that if we are virtuous in this life1 we shall be happy in the life to come4 ,the subject was now dropped till after their father had retired to rest1 when it was resumed4 ,your remark on the sermon we heard to-day1 said ,miss ,macfarlane to her brother1 ,i think is a very just one4 ,it certainly demands attention4 ,if the virtuous only can be saved1 the great majority of the human race must perish4 ,very true2 and we know that many who become virtuous in old age1 have been dissipated in their youthful days4 ,can such persons expect a state of future felicity as confidently as though they had always been virtuous8 ,and1 after all1 what is virtue8 ,it is simply a line of conduct that runs parallel with the requirements of the society amongst which we live1 and which we know varies so much in different nations and amongst different people1 that what some call a virtuous action1 we should condemn as an outrage on the feelings of humanity4 ,a ,hindoo applauds the virtue of the eldest son1 who sets fire to the pile which is to consume his deceased father and living mother2 but were he to do such a deed here1 he would be execrated as a monster1 and amenable to the law4 ,can we suppose that the ,supreme ,being will award a state of future happiness to a ,hindoo1 for an action for which he would punish an ,european1 by excluding him from heaven8 ,impossible6 ,and beside1 said ,miss ,macfarlane1 how shall we know when we have acquired that exact degree of virtue which will entitle us to expect a state of felicity in the life to come8 ,the more ,i think on the subject1 the more ,i am perplexed4 ,what shall we do1 for ,i feel the subject too important to be dismissed8 ,after some further conversation1 they resolved to examine the ,scriptures1 to see if they could gain any information2 and providentially they turned to the fifth chapter of ,paul's ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,there they read the following verses with deep interest3--,for when we were yet without strength1 in due time ,christ died for the ungodly4444 ,god commendeth his love towards us1 in that1 while we were yet sinners1 ,christ died for us4444 ,for if1 when we were enemies1 we were reconciled to ,god by the death of his ,son1 much more1 being reconciled1 we shall be saved by his life4 ,here we find1 said ,mr4 ,macfarlane1 the apostle speaking of the salvation of the ungodly1 of sinners1 and of enemies4 ,they proceeded in their examination1 and perceived1 from many passages which they met with in other epistles1 that the current language of the ,scripture plainly and unequivocally proves1 that the revelation of mercy was intended to benefit the guilty and depraved as well as the virtuous4 ,one passage particularly arrested their attention in the second chapter of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,ephesians--,and you hath he quickened1 who were dead in trespasses and sins2 wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world1 according to the prince of the power of the air1 the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience4 ,on reading these verses1 ,mr4 ,macfarlane remarked3--,we are to remember1 that at the period when ,christianity was first promulgated by the apostles1 the whole of the ,gentile world was sunk into a state of the grossest ignorance1 superstition1 and vice2 and though some of its most celebrated philosophers and statesmen were distinguished for their love of virtue1 yet the immense majority of the people were addicted to almost every species of gross immorality4 ,if1 then1 a state of future felicity is reserved only for the virtuous1 and no provision is made for the salvation of the wicked1 the labours of the apostles must have been restricted to the few who had kept themselves from the moral corruptions of the age in which they lived4 ,but such an opinion receives no sanction from this passage1 which speaks of the salvation of those who had their conversation in times past in the lusts of their flesh1 'fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind2 and were by nature the children of wrath1 even as others4' ,on turning their attention to the brief delineation which the apostle has given of his own character before his conversion to the faith in ,christ1 they were struck with his declaration respecting the design of our ,lord's mission4 ,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 ,howbeit for this cause ,i obtained mercy1 that in me first ,jesus ,christ might shew forth all long-suffering1 for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting4 ,you perceive1 said ,mr4 ,macfarlane to his sister1 the apostle says1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners2 and saved the chief of them1 as a pattern for the encouragement of others who may deem themselves equally guilty1 to hope in the mercy of ,god4 ,we thus see1 said ,mr4 ,macfarlane1 that the epistles prove that ,jesus ,christ came into the world to save sinners from a state of future misery1 and to fit them for heaven2 but then comes the question1 ,what degree of dependence ought we to place on their testimony8 ,may they not have become corrupted in the course of time8 or may not the writers of them have committed some mistake8 ,so1 brother1 we have been taught to believe1 but it is possible that we may be mistaken4 ,however1 as we cannot now1 by any process of inquiry1 decide on the genuineness of the passages which we have been examining1 let us turn our attention to the gospels1 and see if they exhibit the same views on this subject as the epistles4 ,because we may fairly infer1 that if the whole of the ,bible is written by the inspiration of the ,almighty1 we shall find a continuity and harmony of thought running through the various parts of it1 and especially on that paramount question which now engages our attention4 ,as it is now getting very late1 ,mr4 ,macfarlane observed1 we will not go into that question to-night2 but ,i will contrive to get home to-morrow rather earlier than usual1 when we will pursue our inquiries4 ,my mind1 dear brother1 is painfully excited by the discoveries we have already made1 as they have convinced me that our theory of belief is in direct opposition to that of the apostles1 who were initiated into the ,christian faith by the oral instructions of ,jesus ,christ4 ,yes1 this ,i feel4 ,but still the discovery should not distress us2 it should rather excite our gratitude2 for if we find1 on more careful inquiry1 that we have been holding false opinions1 we can renounce them1 and adopt the true system of belief4 ,they continued their investigations of ,scripture from evening to evening1 sometimes together1 sometimes apart1 and made rapid progress in the knowledge of ,divine truth4 ,i have hitherto thought1 said ,mr4 ,macfarlane1 as he sat with his sister one evening1 that ,jesus ,christ came as a teacher1 to instruct us how to attain to a state of future happiness1 and to inculcate on us1 by the purity of his example1 the cultivation of the social virtues4 ,however1 on a careful examination of the ,new ,testament1 ,i feel very much struck with the express reason which ,he gave to his apostles1 for his coming into the world--',even as the ,son of man came not to be ministered unto1 but to minister1 and to give his life a ransom for many' 7,matt4 xx4 #bh74 ,he certainly knew what he came to do--and he says he came to die--to die voluntarily1 by giving his life1 not giving it as an act of martyrdom1 but as a ransom to redeem many4 ,now this must refer to the many1 in some condition of danger2 not to any select few of the amiable and virtuous1 in no danger4 ,i also1 remarked his sister1 feel very forcibly impressed with the reason which ,jesus ,christ assigns for his going to visit ,zaccheus1 who appears to have been before his conversion a great sinner4 ',for the ,son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost' 7,luke xix4 #aj74 ,there is nothing about teaching1 as the direct import of his mission1 but seeking after sinners to rescue them from the danger of perishing4 ,this harmonizes with the statement of the apostle ,paul1 which has already engaged our attention4 ,very true4 ,and if we take for our guidance the undisputed axiom1 that facts determine and explain theory1 we may1 by a careful examination of the narratives which are reported by the evangelists1 make some safe progress in the inquiry we are now pursuing as to the design of the mission of ,jesus ,christ4 ,you have been turning your attention to the conversion of ,zaccheus1 and ,i have been turning mine to that of the thief on the cross1 both ranked among the chief of sinners2 but both were converted and saved by faith in ,christ4 ,the malefactor1 when dying1 made his appeal to ,jesus1 saying1 ',lord1 remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom' 7,luke xxiii4 #db74 ,how prompt and benign is the answer1 ',verily ,i say unto thee1 ,to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise6' ,what a solace this promise must have been to the poor sufferer--a bright and soothing prospect in the midst of his agonies6 ,and with what authority ,jesus speaks--assuming the right of fixing the final destiny of this dying criminal1 and of advancing him to the honour of associating with him in the celestial paradise6 ,he must have been something more than man to speak thus1 and to assume such a prerogative1 on such an occasion4 ,such a conviction1 observed ,miss ,macfarlane1 forced itself very strongly on my mind1 when reading the ,gospel of ,john1 particularly the following passages1 which never attracted my attention before3 ',for the bread of ,god is he which cometh down from heaven1 and giveth life unto the world4444 ,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,i am the bread of life3 he that cometh to me shall never hunger2 and he that believeth on me shall never thirst4444 ,and this is the will of him that sent me1 that every one which seeth the ,son1 and believeth on him1 may have everlasting life2 and ,i will raise him up at the last day4444 ,i am the living bread which came down from heaven4 ,if any man eat of this bread1 he shall live for ever3 and the bread that ,i will give is my flesh1 which ,i will give for the life of the world' 7,john vi4 #cc1 #ce1 #dj1 #ea74 ',as the ,father knoweth me1 even so know ,i the ,father3 and ,i lay down my life for the sheep4444 ,i and my ,father are one' 7,john x4 #ae1 #cj74 ,we here see that he claims an equality with his ,father1 which would have been an act of blasphemy to have done if he were only a man2 he lays down his life of his own accord1 for the benefit of man2 asserts that the possession of everlasting life is made dependent on our believing on ,him2 and says1 that if we do so1 ,he will raise us from the grave at the last day4 ,you have compressed within a very narrow compass1 a series of truths which now appear novel to us both1 though we must often have seen them when reading the ,new ,testament2 and which most certainly are of immense importance1 demanding our most serious attention4 ,hitherto we have regarded ,jesus ,christ as a mere man1 though one of a superior order--surpassing all other men in intelligence and personal excellencies2 but ,i begin to regard him as ,god in the form of man1 as on such an hypothesis1 all his sayings and doings1 ,i believe1 will be found to harmonize4 ,on coming home this evening1 ,i stepped into a bookseller's shop1 and asked for the best work on the divinity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i bought the one recommended1 and here it is--,the ,scripture ,testimony to the ,messiah1 by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,j4 ,p4 ,smith4 ,let us then postpone all further discussion on the subjects of our present inquiry1 till we have carefully read ,dr4 ,pye ,smith's book4 ,when we have done this1 we shall be better qualified to pursue our inquiries1 and arrive at some satisfactory conclusion4 ,there are three leading questions we have to attend to--,first1 ,what is the testimony of the sacred writers as it relates to the person of ,jesus ,christ8--is he a mere man1 or does he unite in his person the ,divine with the human nature8 ,second1 ,what is the express purpose for which he came into the world8--was it to teach the lessons of wisdom and of virtue1 enforcing his instructions by the purity of his example8 or was it for the purpose of redeeming sinners from some fatal danger8 ,and1 third1 ,are his sufferings expiatory--the meritorious cause of human salvation8 or must we look upon them as a contingent evil1 inseparably connected with his mysterious history8 ,yes1 said ,miss ,macfarlane1 these three questions will include everything we want definitively settled2 and ,i hope the ,spirit of wisdom from above will guide us in our researches1 to understand what is revealed to us in the ,bible4 ,i will take1 if you please1 the ,doctor's second volume1 which ,i see is an examination of the narratives given to us by the evangelists4 ,and ,i will go through his third volume1 which gives us the testimony of the apostles2 and when we have done this1 we will examine together his first volume1 which is a record of what the prophets predicted concerning him4 ,the absence of ,mr4 ,macfarlane1 ,senr41 for a few weeks1 on his annual visit to a brother who resided in ,yorkshire1 gave them an opportunity of devoting their attention more uninterruptedly to the important inquiry in which they were now engaged4 ,as they advanced1 they felt the evidence in confirmation of the divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 and his vicarious death1 gradually increasing in clearness and force1 till they arrived at the full conviction that he was the ,son of ,god1 on an equality with his ,father1 though appearing on earth as the ,son of man1 and giving his life as a ransom to redeem the guilty and worthless4 ,they now began to feel anxious in behalf of their father1 who was living in the rejection of the essential truths of the ,scriptures1 under the delusive spell of ,unitarian error4 ,they1 however1 deemed it advisable to proceed with caution1 lest he should peremptorily refuse to have any discussion whatever on the subject4 ,on the ,sabbath after his return1 they excused themselves from going with him to chapel1 which astounded him2 but he had too much respect for the right of private judgment to attempt to impose any restraint4 ,in the evening1 as they were conversing together1 he said1 ,why did you leave the intelligent preaching of our learned minister1 to hear the mysterious doctrines of ,calvinism enforced8 ,have you been as much pleased as you were with the excellent discourse we heard the ,sunday before ,i left home8 ,the discourse which we then heard1 replied his son1 we thought very excellent2 but we were so much struck with the remark of ,dr4 ,r----1 that the felicities of heaven are reserved only for the virtuous1 that1 on reflection1 we could not agree with him2 because on such an hypothesis the vast majority in every age1 and in every country1 would be consigned over to a state of hopeless misery4 ,and do you now think that any other but virtuous people will ever be received into heaven8 ,on searching the ,scripture1 which we have done with diligence during your absence1 we find that the ungodly--that transgressors--that those who are enemies to ,god by wicked works--that the children of disobedience--and that the chief of sinners1 may be saved4 ,this new view of the revelation of mercy1 which is sanctioned by the current language of the ,bible1 appears to us more consistent with the benevolence of the ,supreme ,being1 and much better adapted to the real character and condition of the great mass of mankind1 than the statement of ,dr4 ,r----4 ,by your permission1 ,papa1 said ,miss ,macfarlane1 ,i will read ,dr4 ,doddridge's ',paraphrase and ,improvement of one of our ,saviour's ,parables1' which ,i think is so excellent1 and so much in point1 that it will afford you as much pleasure as it has given me4 ,i have no objection to your reading a quotation from ,dr4 ,doddridge1 because ,i have always considered him a moderate1 as well as a very learned man4 ,i think he is mistaken in his views of some of the speculative truths of revelation2 but ,i like him as a practical writer4 ,the parable is contained in the fifteenth chapter of the ,gospel by ,luke1 and the paraphrase runs thus3--,but ,jesus for the encouragement of these few penitents1 as well as to rebuke the censorious and uncharitable ,pharisees1 spake to them this parable1 and said1 ,what man of you1 having an hundred sheep1 if he lose one of them1 doth not leave the ninety and nine1 that were feeding together in the pastures of the wilderness1 and go from place to place in search after it1 and having at length found it1 he layeth it on his shoulders1 greatly rejoicing1 as a man in such circumstances naturally would8 ,and when he cometh home1 he calleth together his friends and neighbours1 and says unto them with great pleasure1 ,my friends1 you may now rejoice with me2 for my labour and search have not been in vain1 but ,i have found my sheep which was lost4 ,and as he thus is more delighted with the recovery of the sheep which he had lost1 than with the safety of the rest1 which had not wandered1 so ,i say unto you that greater and more sensible joy will be in heaven among the blessed and benevolent spirits that dwell there1 over one sinner that repenteth1 than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance1 or such a universal change of mind and character4 ,how graceful and lovely does our ,lord appear1 while thus opening his compassionate arms and heart to those wretched outcasts1 for whose souls no man cared6 ,who can choose but rejoice at this jubilee which he proclaimed among them1 and at the cheerful attention which they gave to these glad tidings of great joy8 ,may we who are his followers never despise the meanest1 or the worst of men1 when they seem disposed to receive religious instruction1 but rather exert ourselves with a distinguished zeal1 as knowing that the joy of the heavenly world1 in their recovery1 will be in some measure proportionable to the extremity of their former danger4 ,let us often recollect the charity and goodness of these perfected spirits1 who look down from their own glory with compassion on mortals wandering in the paths of the destroyer1 and who sing anthems of thankfulness and joy1 when by ,divine grace they are reclaimed from them4 ,let every sinner be touched by a generous desire that he who has been in so many instances the offender and burden of the earth1 may become the joy of heaven by his sincere conversion4 ,you know1 my children1 said old ,mr4 ,macfarlane1 that ,i have endeavoured to train you up in the paths of virtue1 and to give you what ,i conceive correct views of religion2 but if you on examination feel dissatisfied with any opinions which ,i have inculcated1 you ought most certainly to renounce them4 ,you have the same right to think1 and judge1 and decide for yourselves1 as ,i have2 and ,i feel too much affection for you to throw on the path of your inquiry the slightest shadow of opposition4 ,i know you are virtuous2 and if ,i see you happy1 ,i shall be satisfied4 ,you will proceed in your inquiries after truth with caution--weigh with the greatest nicety the evidence which may be submitted to you2 as many opinions1 when they first strike our attention1 appear very specious and plausible1 which will not endure the ordeal of a critical investigation4 ,i cannot give you better advice than that which the apostle gave to the believers of ,thessalonica1 ',prove all things2 hold fast that which is good4' ,to be candid1 my dear father1 said his son1 the result of the investigation which we have been pursuing with close1 and ,i may say prayerful1 attention1 is a firm belief in the supreme divinity of ,jesus ,christ2 and also in the reality and efficacy of the atonement he made in behalf of sinners by his vicarious death4 ,i certainly regret that you should adopt such a belief1 which1 ,i have always told you1 is a corruption of ,christianity4 ,no1 father1 it is a belief which owes its origin to the concurrent testimony of the sacred writers4 ,if the sacred writers1 and if ,jesus ,christ himself had made no statements on this subject1 the question of his divinity would never have been agitated1 neither would the question of his atonement for the sins of the world4 ,if1 then1 it be an error1 it is one for which they are responsible2 they assert the fact of his divinity so clearly1 that ,i feel compelled to do one of two things--either impeach their integrity1 or admit his divinity4 ,to give you a specimen4 ,the prophet ,isaiah says1 ',his name shall be called ,wonderful1 the ,,mighty ,,god2' the apostle ,paul says1 ',he was ,,god ,,manifest ,,in ,,the ,,flesh2' and ,jesus ,christ himself1 who knew who and what he was1 asserts his ,,equality with his ,father1 in power1 in knowledge1 and in his claims on the homage and love of his disciples4 ,would the prophets and apostles have used these expressions if they had been ,unitarians believing in ,christ's exclusive humanity8 ,you must not form your judgment from a few isolated passages of the ,bible1 which are susceptible of a different interpretation4 ,i admit this2 but1 in the first place1 ,dr4 ,pye ,smith1 and other men of learning1 have proved1 that the most correct interpretation of the passages ,i have now quoted1 is the orthodox interpretation2 however1 waiving that debateable point1 would any ,unitarian1 if left to express his own opinion of the person of ,jesus ,christ1 employ terms which should allow any one fairly to infer that he is a ,divine ,incarnation8 ,why1 no1 ,i should think not4 ,then1 why have the sacred writers done it8 ,but to proceed3 in the next place--these isolated passages1 dear father1 are in exact harmony with the general statement of all the sacred writers4 ,surely we cannot suppose that the very men who were employed as the agents of a ,divine revelation1 would be allowed to entrap us into the double crime of idolatry and blasphemy1 by compelling any one who admits their integrity1 to bow down and do homage to ,jesus ,christ as to ,god4 ,there is one fact in the history of our ,saviour1 which1 in my opinion1 may set at defiance the most ingenious and subtle casuist that ever made an effort to subvert or mystify human belief4 ,in addressing his opponents1 he adopted a style of speech which stirred up their wrath1 and made them accuse him of blasphemy for making himself ,god1 that is1 by trying to make them believe he was ,god4 ,now1 father1 ,i put this plain1 common-sense question1 ,would any good man1 especially one so good as ,jesus ,christ1 when speaking of himself1 employ expressions which should convey to others the idea that he was ,god in the form of man1 to whom all men are to pay homage1 and on whom all who hope to be saved are to depend for salvation and eternal life8 ,there is a great deal of ambiguity in the language of the ,scripture1 which1 as the apostle ,paul says1 is hard to be understood4 ,that ,i admit2 but such an admission does not affect the question before us2 which is this--,would any man of intelligence and virtue1 when speaking of himself1 use any expressions which should induce people to believe that he was ,god8 ,in fact1 would not such an attempt1 if made1 as has happened occasionally in modern times1 be considered a proof of insanity8 ,the rejection of the divinity of ,jesus ,christ would indeed reduce me to a very serious dilemma4 ,in the first place1 ,i must impeach the integrity of the sacred writers1 which would compel me to reject the entire system of revelation1 as a gross imposition on human credulity2 and1 in the next place1 ,i must look on ,jesus ,christ as an insane person1 or a blasphemer4 ,i see no alternative between universal scepticism and the devout reception of the doctrine of the divinity of ,christ and his atonement4 ,i certainly should prefer what is called orthodoxy to universal scepticism2 but ,i shall never be able to bring my mind to receive what ,i cannot comprehend2 and this a believer in ,christ's divinity and atonement is compelled to do4 ,this1 my dear father1 is one of the delusive objections to the orthodox faith1 under which we have too long taken refuge4 ,why1 is not a ,unitarian compelled to believe what he cannot comprehend8 ,for example1 do you not believe in the eternal existence of ,god--a glorious self-existing ,being1 who lives by the power of his own volition1 with whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning8 ,true2 though ,i must confess it never struck me before4 ,this staggers me4 ,well1 my dear children1 our difference on points of speculative belief will make no alteration in our mutual attachment2 you will remain1 ,i have no doubt1 pure and virtuous1 as you always have been2 and ,i trust we shall together participate in the felicities of heaven1 when our earthly course is finished1 even if we should never1 as we once did1 believe exactly alike4 ,in the course of the following week1 ,miss ,macfarlane received a visit from ,miss ,reynolds1 her pious friend already referred to1 who was not more astonished than delighted by seeing her at the chapel in ---- ,street1 on the preceding ,sabbath4 ,after a little desultory conversation1 ,miss ,reynolds said1 ,we were rather surprised to see you and your brother at our chapel on ,sabbath2 but ,i hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing you there again4 ,your surprise1 replied ,miss ,macfarlane1 is very natural4 ,yes1 you will see us again1 as we have both decided to attend ,mr4 ---- in future4 ,the system of ,unitarianism1 in which we have been educated1 we have discovered is delusive--a fatal perversion of the theory of revealed truth2 and though it may suit the virtuous part of society1 who have no perceptions of the evil of sin1 yet1 as it makes no provision for the salvation of sinners1 it cannot afford peace to a wounded conscience4 ,and has my dear ,eliza at length discovered that she is a sinner6 ,i have not only discovered it1 but ,i have felt it2 and ,i still feel it4 ,you know how ,i have repelled such a charge in time past2 but ,i can repel it no longer4 ,my conscience bears testimony to its truth4 ,i cannot accuse myself of having violated any of the laws of social life1 but ,i perceive that ,i have broken the law of ,god1 and stand guilty in his sight4 ,as this is a new discovery1 will you tell me how you made it8 ,the first circumstance which excited our attention was a very excellent sermon1 preached a short time since by ,dr4 ,r----1 on the felicity of heaven1 which he said was reserved only for the virtuous4 ,when conversing together on the subject1 in the evening of the ,sabbath1 my brother said to ,papa1 ,if the virtuous only can attain a state of felicity1 what will become of the wicked1 who we know constitute the great bulk of society in every age and in every country8 ,as his reply gave us no satisfaction1 we began to search the ,scriptures1 which soon convinced us that even the chief of sinners could be saved4 ,the subject of inquiry appeared to us no less important than it was novel2 it deeply engaged our attention1 and we pursued it with intense application4 ,dr4 ,pye ,smith's ,scripture ,testimony to the ,messiah settled our belief2 and now we feel compelled to withdraw from all religious fellowship with those who refuse to acknowledge the divinity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,knowing1 from your testimony and that of others1 that your excellent pastor stands very high in public estimation1 we decided on hearing him1 and ,i trust that the impression which his discourse made on our minds will never be effaced4 ,he has given to us1 if ,i may use such an expression1 the clue of a clearer discovery on some important branches of revealed truth2 and now we can perceive beauties in the sacred volume which lay concealed from our eye1 and we can now understand many passages which had ever before appeared obscure and inexplicable4 ,but at times ,i feel a depression of spirits which ,i cannot remove2 yet it does not proceed from any regret at the step we have taken1 or any mistrust in the truthfulness of our new belief1 but from a keen sense of my personal unworthiness of the ,divine favour4 ,i am rejoiced1 dear ,eliza1 replied ,miss ,reynolds1 to hear you utter such sentiments4 ,god is dealing graciously with your soul4 ,he wounds to heal4 ,he has convinced you of the evil of sin1 and unveiled before you that abyss of danger1 to which you were exposed1 so as to prepare you for the manifestations of his favour1 beaming on you through the mediation of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,but ,i fear that the ,saviour will not look on me with an eye of pity1 as ,i have so often insulted him by denying his divinity1 and the efficacy of his death as an expiation for human guilt4 ,i am now astonished how ,i could reject doctrines which are so plainly revealed in the ,bible2 and sometimes the guilt of my conduct appears so great1 that ,i am more disposed to despair of mercy than to cherish the hope of obtaining it4 ,if you still persisted in denying his divinity1 and rejecting the atonement which he has made for sin1 you might despair of mercy2 but if you admit these essential doctrines of the ,christian scheme of salvation1 you may plead the promises of grace with confidence4 ,the ,redeemer will execute judgment in the last day upon ungodly sinners for all the hard speeches which they have spoken against him1 if they die in a state of confirmed impenitence2 but if they repent of their evil deeds and hard speeches1 he will1 as a faithful and merciful ,high ,priest1 have compassion on them1 will intercede for them1 and will save them4 ,i now receive these doctrines as essential parts of the system of revealed truth2 but yet ,i sometimes feel a recurrence of my former prejudices against them1 which causes me unutterable distress4 ,when pleading the atonement as the foundation of my acceptance with ,god1 ,i am tempted to mistrust its efficacy2 and when my heart begins to glow with warm affection for the ,redeemer1 it is suddenly chilled and suppressed by the influence of early opinions and associations4 ,they have taken such a firm hold of my imagination1 that ,i cannot disengage myself from them2 and ,i fear they will always continue to perplex and depress me4 ,that does not surprise me4 ,it is no easy thing for the human mind to disengage itself from the influence of early opinions1 even after they have been renounced2 but the ,lord has laid help upon ,one who is mighty1 and whose grace will be found sufficient for you4 ,i would advise you to read the ,scriptures with close and devout attention2 but your greatest dependence for deliverance from your early associations should be placed on prayer4 ,for the judgment may be convinced of the truth by a logical process of investigation and reasoning1 even while the heart is unimpressed by it2 ,god having reserved to himself the power of making the truth effectual to the salvation of them that believe1 which power he exercises in answer to prayer4 ,the language of the psalmist is very applicable to the present state of your mind--',unto thee1 ,o ,lord1 do ,i lift up my soul4 ,shew me thy ways1 ,o ,lord2 teach me thy paths4 ,lead me in thy truth1 and teach me3 for thou art the ,god of my salvation2 on thee do ,i wait all the day4 ,remember1 ,o ,lord1 thy tender mercies1 and thy loving-kindnesses3 for they have been ever of old4 ,remember not the sins of my youth1 nor my transgressions3 according to thy mercy remember thou me1 for thy goodness' sake1 ,o ,lord4' ,there is one part of the system of revealed truth1 continued ,miss ,reynolds1 which has not yet engaged your attention1 and as it is one of vital importance1 ,i cannot avoid alluding to it4 ,the part to which ,i now refer1 is the agency of the ,divine ,spirit1 by which we become strengthened in our inner man1 to receive the truth in the love of it1 and to discharge the high and sacred obligations which devolve on us4 ,by your permission1 ,i will read to you an extract from a book which ,i happen to have brought with me3#ai-- ',as we are indebted to the ,spirit for the first formation of the divine life1 so it is ,he who alone can maintain it1 and render it strong and vigorous4 ,it is his office to actuate the habits of grace where they are already planted2 to hold our souls in life1 and to 'strengthen us1 that we may walk up and down in the name of the ,lord4' ,it is his office to present the mysteries of salvation2 the truths which relate to the mediation of ,christ and the riches of his grace1 in so penetrating and transforming a manner1 as to render them vital operating principles1 the food and the solace of our spirits4 ,without his agency1 however intrinsically excellent1 they will be to us mere dead speculation--an inert mass3 it is only when they are animated by his breath1 that they become spirit and life4 ',it is his office to afford that anointing by which we may know all things2 by a light which is not merely directive to the understanding1 but which so shines upon the heart1 as to give a relish of the sweetness of ,divine truth1 and effectually produce a compliance with its dictates4 ,it belongs to him 'to seal us to the day of redemption1' to put that mark and character upon us1 which distinguishes the children of ,god1 as well as to afford a foretaste1 as an earnest of the future inheritance4 ',and hereby1' saith an apostle1 'we know that we are of ,god1 by the ,spirit which he hath given us4' ,it is his office to subdue the corruption of our nature1 not by leaving us inactive spectators of the combat1 but by engaging us to a determined resistance to every sinful propensity1 by teaching our hands to war1 and our fingers to fight1 so that the victory shall be ours1 and the praise his4 ,it is his office also to help the infirmities of saints1 who know not what to pray for as they ought1 by making intercession for them 'with groanings which cannot be uttered4' ,he kindles their desires1 gives them a glimpse of the fulness of ,god1 that all-comprehending good2 and by exciting a relish of the beauties of holiness1 and the ineffable pleasure which springs from nearness to ,god1 disposes them to the fervent and effectual prayer which availeth much4 ,in short1 as ,christ is the way to the ,father2 so it is equally certain1 that the ,spirit is the fountain of all the light and strength which enable us to walk in that way4' ,i assure you1 my dear ,matilda1 both my brother and myself feel devoutly thankful to the ,god of all grace1 for rescuing us from the fatal delusion of ,unitarianism1 which we conscientiously renounce as an anti-scriptural system1 no less derogatory to the honour of ,god1 than inapplicable to the moral condition of man--a system which flatters the pride of the heart1 but which makes no provision for the relief of a wounded conscience2 and which1 by placing the hope of final blessedness on the attainment of personal virtue1 supersedes the necessity of the ,saviour's death and mediation1 which constitute the most prominent and essential parts of the grand scheme of redemption4 #ai ,see a ,treatise on the ,work of the ,holy ,spirit1 by the celebrated ,robert ,hall1 of ,leicester4 ,after the lapse of a few months1 ,mr4 and ,miss ,macfarlane were admitted as members into the chapel in ---- ,street1 of which the ,rev4 ,mr4 ---- was pastor4 ,they were received into communion amongst their ,christian brethren1 with the utmost degree of cordiality and affection1 and are still living1 the faithful witnesses of the truth as it is in ,jesus4 ,they had many virtues adorning their character when they were called ,unitarians1 but now they carry their virtue to a greater height1 by deriving their motives for its practice from the authority of ,god1 rather than the praise of man4 ,while1 therefore1 they feel it to be their duty still to add to their virtue1 knowledge2 and to knowledge1 temperance2 and to temperance1 patience2 and to patience1 godliness2 and to godliness1 brotherly kindness2 and to brotherly kindness1 charity2 they are fully conscious of their innumerable defects1 and wait in humble expectation of eternal life1 not as a reward for their good deeds1 but as a sovereign and unmerited favour4 ,,the ,,path ,,of ,,truth ,,forsaken4 ,if all who make a public profession of religion remained faithful unto death1 we should be led to form such a high opinion of the steadfastness of the ,christian character1 that we should never dread any change of feeling or of principle4 ,but1 alas6 who has not seen the most ardent zeal grow cold--the most fervent devotion degenerate into a lifeless formality--and the most spotless integrity become corrupted by the maxims of the world8 ,who has not seen the most eager stopping short in their course2 and some1 who once bade fair to occupy stations of honour and usefulness in the church1 break away1 either suddenly or gradually1 from all their religious connections1 to mingle again with the workers of iniquity1 and place themselves in the seat of the scorner8 ,what more melancholy sight than this can be presented to the real ,christian8 and how can he sufficiently deplore such a calamity8 ,in plaintive accents he often says1 ,o that my head were waters1 and mine eyes a fountain of tears1 that ,i might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people6 ,but there are circumstances which sometimes render this melancholy occurrence peculiarly affecting4 ,if the renegade from the faith be a near relative1 or an intimate friend--one with whom we have taken sweet counsel1 and walked to the house of ,god in company--one who rejoiced over us when first we knew the ,lord--who poured the soothing words of consolation into our minds when we first felt the deep convictions of guilt--who was our guide and counsellor--and whom we loved with an ardent and tender affection--how much more intense is the pain of such an infliction2 and how applicable that noble passage of ,robert ,hall to such an event3--,where shall we find tears fit to be wept at such a spectacle8 or1 could we realize the calamity in all its extent1 what tokens of our compassion and concern would be deemed equal to the occasion8 ,would it suffice for the sun to veil his light1 and the moon her brightness1 to cover the ocean with mourning1 and the heavens with sackcloth8 ,or were the whole fabric of nature to become animated and vocal1 would it be possible for her to utter a groan too deep1 or a cry too piercing1 to express the magnitude and extent of such a catastrophe8 ,in the previous chapter ,i have described the influence of truth prevailing over long-cherished feelings and deeply-rooted prejudices1 and the substitution of correct evangelical views for the erroneous tenets of ,unitarianism4 ,the history ,i am now about to record is of a different description1 and presents a melancholy contrast to the former1 exhibiting the abandonment of the faith after a fair and apparently sincere profession1 and teaching us the necessity of constant labour and watchfulness1 if we wish to make our calling and election sure4 ,henry ,beaufoy was the only son of poor but respectable parents1 who resided in the beautiful village of ,brookcombe in ,devonshire4 ,this village remained for a long series of years in a state of spiritual darkness1 till it was visited by some of the local preachers of the ,methodist ,connexion4 ,at first1 when they declared the glad tidings of salvation amongst the people1 they were insulted and reproached2 and the few who received them became a by-word and a proverb amongst their ignorant and bigoted neighbours4 ,but regardless of all opposition--bearing patiently every species of reviling--and demonstrating by their gentleness of spirit1 that they knew how to return good for evil1 they ultimately succeeded in subduing the prejudices of ignorance and the violence of bigotry1 and established a flourishing society4 ,it happened here1 as in many other places where the introduction of the gospel has been opposed1 that some of the chief of the opponents were the first to feel its renovating power4 ,among this number the parents of ,henry ,beaufoy held a distinguished station4 ,at first they1 in common with many others1 entertained strong prejudices against the preachers1 and endeavoured to persuade others from attending their ministry2 but at length their curiosity was awakened1 and they went to the chapel4 ,they listened--the word came with power--they felt the deepest contrition for their past sins1 especially their sin of opposing and ridiculing the gospel of ,christ2 and eventually became no less distinguished for their attachment1 than they had been for their enmity to the faith4 ,their son ,henry was about twelve years of age1 when this moral change took place in his parents1 and though he felt somewhat surprised at the suddenness of the transition from the most determined hostility against the ,methodists 7as they were reproachfully termed71 to the most cordial attachment1 yet he was too young and too thoughtless to examine into the causes of it4 ,he generally accompanied them to the little chapel1 which was erected under the brow of a hill2 and as he was fond of music1 and had a fine voice1 he assisted in leading the psalmody of the congregation4 ,no material change1 however1 took place in him1 till after he had attained his eighteenth year2 when1 being on a visit to ,plymouth1 he went to hear the ,rev4 ,samuel ,bradburn1 who was one of the most celebrated and one of the most useful ministers of his day4 ,the text from which he preached on that occasion was selected from ,heb4 iv4 #ab--;,for the word of ,god is quick and powerful1 and sharper than any two-edged sword1 piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit1 and of the joints and marrow1 and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart4 ,young ,beaufoy was struck with the colloquial simplicity of his style of address1 no less than by the force of his argumentative reasoning2 but when he directed his bold and masterly appeals to the consciences of his hearers1 his heart was deeply wounded1 and1 like the ,philippian jailor1 he could not refrain from saying1 ,what shall ,i do to be saved8 ,on his return home1 the unusual gravity of his manners1 his more frequent attendance at the village chapel1 his habit of reading the ,bible1 and of retirement for the purposes of devotion1 led his parents to indulge the hope that their ,henry was become a new creature in ,christ ,jesus1 and after the lapse of a few weeks1 they had the satisfaction of hearing an account of his conversion from his own lips4 ,if it be possible to excite in the soul of a pious parent a feeling of joy approximating to the pure unmingled bliss of the heavenly world1 it is when his child comes to him to state the fact1 and detail the manner1 of the great spiritual change which has taken place in his heart4 ,it is then that the prayers of the godly father are turned into praises--that the deep and tender anxieties of the virtuous mother begin to cease1 as they then can recognize in their son or daughter1 a fellow-heir of the grace of life1 with whom they expect to live for ever and ever4 ,it was about this period that ,i first became acquainted with the ,beaufoy family4 ,i had gone to ,devonshire for change of air for a few weeks1 and took up my abode in the village of ,brookcombe1 where ,i lodged in the house of the father and mother of young ,beaufoy4 ,i was much pleased both with them and their son1 the latter of whom used frequently to accompany me on my excursions into the surrounding country4 ,on these occasions we used to have long conversations together1 in which he displayed an intelligence far above what might have been expected from his position in life1 and this1 joined to his amiable temper and pleasing manners1 led me to take a great interest in him4 ,on leaving ,brookcombe1 ,i suggested that he should occasionally write to me--a proposal which he received with much satisfaction1 and we maintained for a number of years a close correspondence4 ,shortly after parting with him1 however1 an event occurred which materially changed his prospects in life4 ,the same intelligence and amiable qualities which had won my heart1 recommended him to the notice of a wealthy citizen of ,london1 who came to visit his patrimonial estate in the neighbourhood1 and he gave him the offer of a lucrative situation in his employment4 ,the offer was accepted1 and he prepared to leave the scenes of his youth4 ,his pious mother1 who dreaded the temptations of ,london as much as she would have dreaded the plague1 said to him on his departure1 ,my ,henry1 ,i am sorry you are going to leave us4 ,i wish you could have remained amongst us1 and continued the solace and comfort of your father and myself4 ,but when you are far away1 exposed to the snares and dangers of the great city1 ,i shall have no sleep at night1 for ,i shall lie awake to pray for you2 and ,i shall have no peace by day1 for ,i shall be always trembling for you1 my child4 ,oh6 mother1 said ,henry1 whose heart was full of the thought of parting1 and whose fortitude began to fail at the sight of his mother's tears1 do not weep4 ,god can keep me from the temptations of the city as well as the temptations of the village2 and ,i have no doubt but ,i shall escape them4 ,i'll come and see you once a-year1 and then we will rejoice together4 ,but how can ,i endure the thought of looking on you1 my child1 only once in the year1 on whom ,i have gazed these one and twenty years with so much delight6 ,my eyes will be dim with sorrow before the first year is up4 ,but ,i will write1 mother1 once a-month4 ,but letters can't speak as ,i have heard you talk for nearly twenty years4 ,i wish the gentleman had never come amongst us4 ,he has broken down the fence of our union1 and taken away the first-fruits of our wedded happiness1 and what have we left to make up for our loss8 ,but ,i know ,i must be resigned--yet ,i have not ,abraham's faith4 ,the ,lord bless you1 and keep you1 and bring you back to your father's house in peace1 that we may bless you before we die4 ,henry set off in company with the gentleman who had taken him under his patronage1 and though he felt the pang of separation to be violent1 yet he bore it with firmness1 and1 turning away his thoughts from the scene of grief which he had just left1 he began to amuse himself with the varied objects which presented themselves to him in the course of this his first journey to the metropolis4 ,on arriving in ,london1 he took lodgings in the ,city ,road1 in the house of ,mr4 ,jordan1 whom the reader will remember as the worthy landlord of ,mr4 ,lewellin4#bj ,this was shortly after the return of the latter from the country1 on recovering from the dangerous illness which had produced so important a change in his moral character4 ,from residing together in the same house1 a close intimacy sprang up between ,mr4 ,lewellin and young ,beaufoy1 which was much strengthened by the similarity of their religious sentiments4 ,though belonging to different evangelical bodies1 they1 nevertheless1 zealously co-operated together in the advancement of all the various schemes instituted by ,christian benevolence1 for the promotion of the spiritual and temporal happiness of our fellow-men4 ,mr4 ,beaufoy1 who had received his first religious impressions amongst the ,wesleyan ,methodists1 and imbibed all their peculiar opinions1 very naturally chose to attend their chapel4 ,they received him with their usual kindness1 and for several years he grew in their esteem and confidence1 as a young man of superior intelligence and decided piety4 ,for a considerable time ,i both corresponded with young ,beaufoy1 and also1 on one or two occasions1 when in ,london1 ,i called on him1 and invariably met with the warmest reception4 ,i frequently held conversations with him on the subject of religion1 and from the deep interest which he seemed to take in the subject1 ,i believed that he had indeed become a decided ,christian4 ,but how deceitful sometimes are appearances1 and how cautious ought we to be in forming conclusions from mere external circumstances1 however fair the prospect may be which they present6 #bj ,vol4 i4 page #ab4 ,henry ,beaufoy possessed a mind admirably qualified for business1 and his abilities1 in this respect1 enabled him to make rapid progress in the counting-house of his employer1 where he soon filled a lucrative and responsible situation4 ,about five years after his first arrival in the metropolis1 he married a young lady occupying a good position in society1 but who made no decided profession of religion4 ,she attended the chapel because she had been accustomed to do so from her earliest childhood1 and felt attached to the people amongst whom her parents lived and died2 but she had no clear perceptions of the nature or design of the gospel1 nor had she ever felt its enlightening or renovating power4 ,she was handsome1 amiable1 and intelligent1 but she did not possess the one thing needful2 and though her habits and associations were of a religious nature1 yet being destitute of its pure and heavenly spirit1 she became a snare to her husband1 by drawing off his mind1 by imperceptible degrees1 from things that are unseen and eternal1 to those that were visible and temporal4 ,mr4 ,beaufoy's income was1 as already mentioned1 considerable1 which1 together with the fortune he had with his wife1 enabled him to live in a style far above his early expectations2 but he had too much good sense to involve himself in debt1 and too much regard for his parents to allow them to be in difficulties1 while he had abundance4 ,he often used to say1 when in his native village1 ,i covet wealth that ,i may enjoy the luxury of doing good2 and when ,providence granted him his desire1 he partook of this source of gratification to a very large extent4 ,his regular remittances to his parents exceeded their wishes2 while his liberality to the poor1 and every religious institution with which he stood connected1 raised him high in the esteem of his ,christian brethren4 ,but1 alas6 his spirituality did not keep pace with his prosperity2 nor did the fervour of his devotional spirit equal the degree of his diligence in business4 ,in compliance with custom1 he spent the first few weeks after his marriage amidst scenes of gaiety and pleasure--in receiving and returning the visits of his friends and associates2 and though he found an apology for this course of life in the example of others1 yet he felt it to be injurious to the religious tone of his mind1 and longed to return to his more settled religious habits4 ,had ,mrs4 ,beaufoy possessed a similar spirit1 this incursion into the land of the enemy would not have been productive of any essential injury2 but as she was now treading on her native soil1 and moving in an element congenial to her taste1 she succeeded in estranging her husband from the simplicity of a religious life1 and induced him to adopt the habits of the men of the world4 ,the prayer-meeting1 in which his voice had often been heard1 leading the devotion of others1 was now deserted for dinner and evening parties4 ,the sacredness of religious conversation with those who loved and feared the ,lord1 was exchanged for the vain and trifling conversation of the votaries of fashion2 and though on the ,sabbath-day he was seen in his pew1 yet the marked seriousness and peaceful serenity of his countenance was supplanted by the knitted brow1 or the listless and inattentive air4 ,the society of his former religious friends1 including ,mr4 ,lewellin1 now became less agreeable to him than that of some gay worldlings1 into whose company he was frequently thrown4 ,his letters to myself also were shorter and more reserved2 but ,i was still far from suspecting the dangerous nature of the career on which he was now entering4 ,thus while retaining a name and a place amongst the members of the church1 he was rapidly receding from the purity and fervour of the ,christian spirit4 ,one of the earliest symptoms of apostasy from the pure faith of ,christ1 is a fastidiousness of hearing1 which few preachers can please4 ,the truth as it is in ,jesus is tolerated on account of the form or the manner in which it is presented2 and the messenger is admired more than the message which he delivers4 ,though we would not condemn a predilection for the more graceful and the more eloquent appeals of the pulpit1 nor insinuate that a correct taste is a prima facie evidence of a heart in a state of departure from ,god1 yet it requires no lengthened argument to prove that when the truths of the gospel are not loved and received for their own sake1 and on account of their beneficial tendency1 it is a decisive proof that the tone of the mind is injured2 and that1 notwithstanding the outward appearance of devotion which may be kept up by a professor1 he is not walking in the fear of the ,lord1 nor in the comfort of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,he may have his favourite preachers2 but if the truth which they preach is not esteemed when it is delivered by men equally zealous1 and equally devoted to ,god1 though not equally gifted1 we are supplied with a melancholy symptom of his being in a backsliding state4 ,it was this spirit of preference for the learning of ,paul--for the eloquence of ,apollos--and for the peculiar charms of ,cephas1 amongst the members of the church of ,corinth1 that the apostle regards as an evidence of their indifference to ,christ2 and which he adduces as a proof that a corrupt leaven was then working amongst them4 ,for while one saith1 ,i am of ,paul2 and another1 ,i am of ,apollos1 is it not a convincing proof1 that the speaker is more delighted with the correctness of the language which a preacher employs1 than the purity of the doctrines which he preaches8 ,mr4 ,beaufoy1 on his settlement in ,london1 gave a decided preference to the most evangelical and the most experimental preachers in his ,connexion2 but now he began to admire the most fanciful and the most florid1 to whom he listened as an amateur does to a piece of music--more for the gratification of his taste than the spiritual improvement of his mind2 and as he could not always hear them1 he began to absent himself from the chapel when they were not expected4 ,his habit of attendance at length became so irregular1 that some of his ,christian brethren1 who had watched with great anxiety the progress of his defection1 felt it their duty to have him admonished2 and they deputed an aged elder1 in whom dwelt the spirit of wisdom and of grace1 to visit him4 ,the manner in which reproof is received often developes the real temper and disposition of the mind1 and supplies us with a good criterion to form a correct judgment of character4 ,let the righteous smite me1 said the ,psalmist1 when reviewing the imperfections of his conduct1 it shall be a kindness2 and let him reprove me1 it shall be an excellent oil1 which shall not break my head4 ,and it is by the kind admonitions and the gentle reproofs that we timely receive from those of our friends who watch over us1 that we are often indebted1 under the ,divine blessing1 for our spiritual prosperity1 and to which we may trace our recovery from that state of religious declension1 to which we are so fatally prone4 ,indeed1 said ,mr4 ,beaufoy to his venerable friend1 in whose company he had formerly passed many a pleasant hour1 ,i think ,i am at liberty to attend where and when ,i please1 without being subject to the inquisitorial interference of others4 ,and though you are pleased to say1 that my late conduct has given my best friends reason to fear that ,i am not so spiritual as when they first knew me1 yet you will permit me to say that ,i am the best judge on that subject4 ,you certainly1 replied the venerable elder1 are at liberty to go where you please2 but ,i hope you will not go away from ,him who 'hath the words of eternal life2' and are at liberty to go when you please2 but do not forget the ,divine injunction which commands us to 'consider one another1 to provoke unto love and to good works2 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together1 as the manner of some is4' ,i hope ,i shall not1 ,sir2 but ,i must be permitted to consult my own taste in the choice of the preachers on whose ministry ,i attend1 without being censured for any decrease in the spirituality of my mind4 ,if ,i do not talk quite so much on religious subjects as ,i once did1 that is no proof that ,i feel less2 as we become reserved on these high and awful considerations in proportion as we are impressed by them4 ,the ,psalmist says1 replied the elder1 ',while ,i was musing the fire burned2 then spake ,i with my tongue4' ,i know you are displeased with me1 my brother1 for the language which ,i have addressed to you2 and ,i assure you1 that your displeasure gives me greater sorrow than the cause of my visit1 inasmuch as it convinces me that your heart is not right with ,god4 ,i have but a few years to live1 and perhaps only a few hours2 and as ,i may not live to repeat a visit which is as unacceptable to you as it is painful to myself1 ,i cannot leave you without giving you and ,mrs4 ,beaufoy a message from the ,lord--',take heed1 lest there be in you an evil heart of unbelief1 in departing from the living ,god4' ,i have no doubt1 ,sir1 but your motives are good1 and that you deem the solemn admonition of the apostle necessary2 but you will permit us to form our own judgment on the propriety of its application4 ,the venerable elder then arose1 took his young brother by the hand1 and wept2 and after struggling for some moments to subdue the feelings which were agitating his breast1 he said1 ,my brother1 ,i fear that you have departed from the ,lord1 and that his ,spirit has departed from you2 but let us kneel together at the throne of grace1 as we used to kneel when the light of his countenance shone upon you1 and pray for its return4 ,he then knelt down1 and offered up a solemn and affecting prayer1 which bespoke the fidelity of his affection for his erring brother4 ,when he arose1 he received the cold thanks of courtesy for his labour of love1 and retired under a strong presentiment that he should see his fellow-member's face no more4 ,and so it proved2 for his feeble frame had received a shock that evening from which he had not strength to recover4 ,he hastened home as fast as his tottering limbs would carry him--partook of his frugal meal--read the twenty-third ,psalm1 and1 in company with his pious housekeeper 7for he had buried his wife about six weeks before this affliction came upon him71 he knelt down1 and closed the toils of the day in the hallowed exercise of communion with ,god4 ,one petition he presented which he had never been heard to utter before--,and if1 ,lord1 it should please thee to call thy servant this night1 ,i thank thee that ,i am at last enabled to adopt the language of ,simeon--',lord1 now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace1 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation4' ,this petition was expressed with an energy of voice which indicated the animation of a mind feeling its near approach to the prize of its high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,he retired to bed at his usual hour1 but he was restless and feverish2 and about midnight he rang the bell4 ,his housekeeper entered his room1 and on drawing aside the curtain of his bed1 heard him say1 ,o6 the pain1 the bliss of dying4 ,he requested her to fetch his pious medical friend1 who speedily arrived1 but it was only to confirm his old servant's worst fears4 ,the dying elder now related to the doctor1 as a member of the same church with himself1 the particulars of his visit to ,mr4 ,beaufoy4 ,i know1 he said1 ,i am dying1 and that in a very few hours ,i shall see the ,king in his beauty2 but death hath lost its sting1 and ,i have lost my fears4 ,i have long waited for my salvation1 and now it is come4 ,i die in full and certain hope of a joyful resurrection to eternal life4 ,give my dying love to my dear wandering brother1 and tell him that the language of the prophet is so impressed on my mind1 that ,i cannot leave the body without expressing a desire that he will meditate on it4 ',thine own wickedness shall correct thee1 and thy backsliding shall reprove thee2 know1 therefore1 and see1 that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the ,lord thy ,god1 and that my fear is not in thee1 saith the ,lord ,god of hosts4' ,he now gently waved his hand as he repeated the triumphant language of the apostle3--,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8 ,the sting of death is sin2 and the strength of sin is the law4 ,but thanks be to ,god1 who giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 and reclining on the bosom of his friend1 he had one strong convulsive struggle1 and then expired with a smile settled on his venerable countenance4 ,the sudden death of this devout elder1 who had been for more than fifty years an ornament to his ,christian profession1 produced a powerful sensation through the whole ,society2 and many attended his funeral as an expression of the esteem and veneration in which they held his character4 ,deep and heartfelt was the sorrow expressed on the countenance of the assembled throng on that occasion1 and every one seemed to mourn as though he had lost a father or a brother4 ,on the following ,sabbath1 his funeral sermon was preached in the chapel by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,r----1 from the words1 ,the hoary head is a crown of glory1 if it be found in the way of righteousness 7,prov4 xvi4 #ca74 ,after a correct delineation of the character of the deceased1 he described the closing scene of his life4 ,he was1 said the preacher1 not only a good1 but a devout man1 and pre-eminently endowed by the ,god of all grace1 with a double portion of the spirit of wisdom and understanding4 ,tremblingly alive for the honour of his ,master's cause1 he would often weep when it was endangered by the inconsistent conduct of its professed friends2 and it was to an extraordinary excitement occasioned by a visit of mercy to a fellow-member1 that we may ascribe his sudden decease4 ,his tender and sympathetic spirit yearning over the object of its solicitude1 was thrown into an agitation from which his feeble frame never recovered4 ,having finished the work assigned him1 he sunk beneath the weight of his own grief1 but not till he had assured his mourning friends that he died in full and certain hope of a joyful resurrection to eternal life4 ,be ye followers of him1 who through faith and patience is now inheriting the promises2 and be on your guard1 lest1 in departing from the living ,god1 you should bring down the gray hairs of some venerable elder with sorrow to his grave1 whose love may impel him to manifest a care for your soul4 ,mr4 ,beaufoy heard this discourse1 but it was evident by his restlessness1 and the indignant look which he cast towards the preacher1 that his pride was mortified1 by the allusions which were made to him4 ,fidelity on the part of a minister is essential1 not only to his happiness1 but his usefulness2 yet when he permits his feelings to overpower the dictates of prudence1 he is in danger of frustrating the design he wishes to accomplish4 ,he should declare the word of life without fear2 but in administering reproof1 he should never be so personal in his remarks or allusions1 as to turn the eyes of an audience on the individual who may deserve it4 ,by the adoption of such a course no one would feel secure from attack1 when he comes to hear the message of grace2 nor is it likely that the offender will be reclaimed from the error of his way1 when he finds himself made a spectacle of reproach in the presence of his brethren4 ,instead of relenting1 he will be hardened2 and may be induced to abandon the place which the angel of mercy visits with his healing power1 rather than remain to receive instruction and reproof4 ,a minister should always combine the wisdom of the serpent with the harmlessness of the dove2 and while he desires to be faithful in the pulpit1 he should be solicitous to guard against all appearance of personality4 ,when the power of vital religion is declining in its influence over the mind of a professor1 and he begins to cherish feelings and adopt habits which are opposed to the purity of his avowed principles1 he will not be able to endure the close appeals of the pulpit4 ,prudence will often keep him from making any complaints against the general fidelity of the ministry1 even while his heart is writhing under it2 and his habits of intimacy with his ,christian brethren will sometimes prevent him from leaving a society with which he has formed a close and a sacred union2 but when the principle of apostasy has gained ascendency over his conscience1 and he begins to treat the friendly remonstrances and admonitions with contempt1 he will soon discover some justifiable cause of offence1 and retire in disgust1 if not in wrath4 ,thus it was with ,mr4 ,beaufoy4 ,stung to the quick by the allusions which the preacher made to the visit of the venerable elder1 and the supposed cause of his sudden death1 he left the chapel in the greatest indignation2 and the following morning1 he sent his arrears of subscription to the managers1 requesting1 at the same time1 that they would consider him as no longer a member of their church4 ,on being informed of her husband's abandoning his connection with the ,wesleyans1 ,mrs4 ,beaufoy was rather pleased than disappointed1 as she hoped she would now have greater scope for sharing in the amusements of the gay world4 ,both thought it right1 however1 still to attend some place of worship1 and thus keep up the appearance of respect for the public services of religion4 ,where to go1 was a question which they could not easily determine2 but as some of their friends1 whose acquaintance they had lately made1 attended a ,socinian meeting in ,e---- ,street1 they resolved to go there on the following ,sabbath4 ,this sudden transition1 from the fervid devotion of ,methodism1 to the frigid apathy of ,socinianism1 produced no unpleasant impressions on the mind of his wife1 but ,mr4 ,beaufoy was not quite prepared for it4 ,his heart was become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin1 yet he still believed in the essential doctrines of ,christianity1 which retained their dominion over him1 though they had lost their original power of impression4 ,they were both struck with the gracefulness of the preacher's manner1 and admired his elocution2 but ,mr4 ,beaufoy could not renounce the divinity1 or the atonement of ,christ1 nor could he regard the doctrine of regeneration as a corruption of the gospel4 ,mrs4 ,beaufoy thought that every modification of ,christianity was equally acceptable to ,god1 but ,mr4 ,beaufoy was capable of distinguishing truth from error2 and while she adopted for her creed the poet's stanza1 ,for modes of faith let graceless zealots fight2 ,his can't be wrong1 whose life is in the right1 he was convinced that no man ought to be considered a ,christian1 who rejected the leading doctrines of revelation4 ,at length1 when expressing his abhorrence of some of the daring charges which he heard advanced against the orthodox faith1 and which he considered as tending to universal scepticism1 she replied1 ,well1 my dear1 you can very easily retain your own opinions1 and yet attend on ,mr4 ,b----'s ministry1 because he cannot force you to believe against the dictates of your own judgment1 and if you sometimes hear them controverted1 that circumstance ought not to disquiet you4 ,as your belief is founded on evidence1 and matured by deep reflection1 you are in no danger of being carried about with every wind of doctrine1 but may fairly calculate on your ability to hold it fast1 amidst all the efforts which may be employed to destroy or disturb it4 ,very true1 he replied1 ,i like the morals of ,socinianism better than the doctrines4 ,well it shall be so2--and so it was4 ,they took their pew1 and occupied it2 and as the only restraint which had kept them for a long time from a more extended course of gaiety was now removed1 they began to walk more openly in the ways of their own heart1 and in the sight of their own eyes4 ,hitherto they had kept up some semblance of religion1 but now they began to conform to the customs of the world1 and to avail themselves of the various sources of gratification which its pleasures and amusements afford4 ,family-prayer1 the last vestige of their former habits of devotion1 was now entirely neglected4 ,the ,bible1 which they once revered as their guide to everlasting life1 was thrown aside2 and though ,mr4 ,beaufoy could not forget that he had been a religious man1 yet he wished others to believe that now he was a more happy one4 ,it has been very justly observed1 that when we begin to think lightly of error we are in great danger of being corrupted by it2 and the experience of all ages proves1 that if a professor hold the truth in unrighteousness1 he is ultimately given up to believe a lie4 ,that there have been many departures from evangelical principles in modern times no one will presume to deny2 but if they were closely examined1 it would be found that they were preceded by a neglect of private prayer1 watchfulness1 self-diffidence1 and walking humbly with ,god2 and every one may perceive that they are followed with similar effects4 ,it has been acknowledged by some who have embraced the ,socinian system1 that since they entertained those views they have lost even the gift of prayer4 ,perhaps they might draw up and read an address to the ,deity2 but they could not pray4 ,where the principles of the gospel are abandoned1 the spirit of prayer and all communion with ,god will likewise depart4 ,the confession of ,peter1 that ,jesus was the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 is thought to be that which our ,lord denominates the rock on which he would build his church4 ,we are sure that the belief of this article of faith was required as a test of ,christianity2 and who can look into the ,christian world with attention1 and not perceive that it still continues the key-stone of the building8 ,if this give way1 the fabric falls4 ,relapses of this nature are infinitely dangerous4 ,he that declines in holy practice has to labour against the remonstrances of conscience2 but he that brings himself to think lightly of sin1 and meanly of the ,saviour 7which is what every false system of religion teaches71 has gone far towards silencing the accusations of this unpleasant monitor4 ,he is upon good terms with himself4 ,the disorder of his soul is deep1 but it is of a flattering nature4 ,the declension of serious religion in him is no less apparent to others than the physical decay of the body in a consumption1 where in each case the party himself frequently has no suspicion of his danger4 ,as ,mr4 ,beaufoy had no family1 the love of accumulation had less dominion over his mind than the passion for display1 which had taken an earlier possession of his mind than he himself was aware of1 and to its fatal tendency may be attributed1 in a great measure1 all the evils and misery of his subsequent life4 ,on this subject we may here quote the words of a judicious writer3--,we need not affect singularity in things indifferent1 but to maintain a constant endeavour to follow in the train of fashion1 is not only an indication of a vain and little mind1 but is certainly inconsistent with pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,the desire of making an appearance has ruined many people in their circumstances--more in their characters--and most of all in their souls4 ,we may flatter ourselves that we can pursue these things1 and be religious at the same time2 but it is a mistake4 ,the vanity of mind which they cherish destroys everything of a humble1 serious1 and holy nature1 rendering us an easy prey to the temptations which are thrown in our way4 ,a ,christian's rule is the revealed will of ,god2 and where the customs of the world run counter to this1 it is his business to withstand them1 even though in so doing he may have to withstand a multitude--yea1 and a multitude of people of fashion2 but if we feel ambitious of their applause1 we shall not be able to endure the scorn which a singularity of conduct will draw upon us4 ,thus we shall be carried down the stream of this world2 and shall either fall into the gulf of perdition1 or if any good thing should be found in us towards the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 it will be indiscernible and useless4 ,mr4 ,beaufoy's amiable disposition1 and admirable conversational powers1 made his society courted by an extensive circle of acquaintances4 ,balls1 parties1 and theatres now consumed the hours of the evenings which were once devoted to reading1 meditation1 and prayer2 and not unfrequently the sanctity of the ,sabbath was violated by excursions to the country4 ,it was just after they had made an engagement to take an excursion on the ,thames on the ensuing ,sabbath1 that ,mr4 ,beaufoy received a letter from his aged mother1 whom he held in the highest veneration1 and from whom he wished to conceal the fact of his apostasy4 ,it breathed a spirit of gentle reproach and remonstrance1 and opened to his view her agony of mind1 occasioned by the intelligence of the defection of her beloved son from the paths of righteousness3-- ,,brookcombe1 #abth ,july1 #ah--4 ,,my ,,dear ,,henry1--,you know ,i always dreaded your going to ,london1 and now1 if what ,i hear be true1 ,i have cause for my fears4 ,a friend called on us the other day1 and told us that you had left our ,society and become a ,socinian4 ,i don't know much about ,socinians1 but ,i understand they say that ,jesus ,christ is nothing more than a man1 and that we must not expect 'redemption through his blood1 or the forgiveness of sins through the riches of his grace1' but from our own good works4 ,and have you1 my ,henry1 forsaken that ,saviour whom1 unseen1 you loved when you lived at home with us8 and have you made a shipwreck of that precious faith which once filled you with so much joy and peace in believing8 and have you departed from the ways of the ,lord for the pleasures of sin1 which are only for a season8 ,we have had no rest since we received these awful tidings1 and the spirit of your poor dear father is so broken with sorrow1 that he has not had a smile upon his countenance since4 ,and can you1 my dear ,henry1 leave the ,saviour who once had compassion on you1 and did such great things for you1 as you so often told us of8 ,if you leave him now1 how will you be able to stand before him1 when he comes with 'ten thousand of his saints1 to execute judgment upon all2 and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed1 and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him8' ,o let me entreat you to return to the ,lord with weeping and supplication1 and he will yet have mercy upon you1 and heal all your backslidings2 he will accept you graciously1 and love you freely4 ,i cannot give you up1 no1 ,i cannot6 ,you are my child1 and ,i cannot endure the thought of living separated from you in another world4 ,let me hear from you directly1 and tell me if you are as happy1 and as holy1 and as spiritually-minded now1 as when you first believed in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,your father joins me in love to you and dear ,sophia1 and in beseeching both of you to consider the error of your ways ere it be too late4 --,your affectionate mother1 ,,amelia ,,beaufoy4 ,this letter shook the unhallowed purpose of his soul1 and neither he nor his wife could venture on their excursion up the river4 ,it brought over their imagination the scenes of departed bliss--revived recollections which were sacred and subduing--and plunged ,mr4 ,beaufoy into deep mental agony4 ,mrs4 ,beaufoy1 however1 was of a more heedless turn of mind1 and endeavoured to assuage her husband's grief by saying1 ,you know you still believe the gospel2 but she had no power over the anguish which was consuming his happiness4 ,yes1 said he1 ,i do believe it1 or this letter would not disquiet me4 ,i have departed from the ,lord1 and ,i am gone past recovery4 ,mine is no common apostasy4 ,my doom is fixed4 ,my end will be awful4 ,where1 ah6 where can ,i go when he cometh 'to execute judgment upon all8' ,yes1 ,i do believe the gospel4 ,i feel ,i do4 ,i believe it1 and tremble4 ,its terrors are upon me4 ,the piercing language of the prophet has been following me ever since the death of that holy man1 whose warning voice ,i despised1 and now they enter as fire into my bones3 ',thine own wickedness shall correct thee1 and thy backslidings shall reprove thee3 know1 therefore1 and see1 that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the ,lord thy ,god1 and that my fear is not in thee1 saith the ,lord ,god of hosts4' ,the ,lord employs various means to recover his people from a backsliding state2 and though for a season he compels them to feel the evil and the bitterness of their sin1 yet he finally restores unto them the joy of his salvation4 ,when1 however1 an apostate has been given up to the hardness of his heart1 neither the language of mercy1 nor the terrors of judgment will produce any other effect than that of accelerating the dreadful catastrophe4 ,he goes on from bad to worse1 till at length he comes to the fearful end of his career4 ,thus it was with ,mr4 ,beaufoy4 ,the extreme agony into which he was thrown by the simple appeals of his mother's letter gradually abated2 but he felt it necessary to adopt some new and extraordinary expedients1 to gain some small degree of tranquillity4 ,his attachment to his wife was strong1 and it had gained such ascendency over him that he refused to leave his home except she accompanied him2 but now a melancholy gloom was cast over all his pleasant things1 and those from which he had extracted the sweetest comforts of life became as bitter as wormwood to his taste4 ,though he forbore1 at this early stage of his mental anguish1 to reproach her as the cause of his apostasy1 yet he secretly laid the sin to her charge1 and began occasionally to feel that her society aggravated the evil1 which her kindness prompted her to attempt to alleviate4 ,he became reserved1 refused to attend any place of worship1 and often stayed from home to a very late hour4 ,at first ,mrs4 ,beaufoy hoped that another sudden change would take place1 and bring back the domestic happiness of former times2 but at length she was awakened to a full discovery of the extent of the misery by which she was surrounded4 ,her husband was no more the interesting and affectionate companion of her retired hours--no more the attentive and fond lover4 ,he became now a thoroughly dissipated character1 rarely returned home till long after his wife's eyes had become heavy by watching for him2 and when he did1 it was only to exhibit his own disgrace1 and torture her feelings4 ,she would sometimes venture to remonstrate with him1 and hang over him with all the affection of former days1 when he would relent1 and pledge himself to change his course2 but he had lost the power of self-control1 and felt compelled to seek for ease from the anguish of his spirit amidst scenes of convivial mirth and folly4 ,the whirl of dissipation and the riot of intemperance are expedients to which many resort when trouble comes upon them2 but they increase the evils sought to be removed2 for though a temporary exhilaration of the spirits may be produced1 and the fearful forebodings of future woe driven away for a short season1 it is only to make them return with redoubled force to inflict keener anguish4 ,a voice is sometimes heard speaking from the celestial glory1 saying1 ,call upon me in the day of trouble1 ,i will deliver thee2 but that voice cannot be heard amidst the revelling and excitement of a theatre or tavern4 ,it speaks to the penitent sinner when he is alone--bowed down beneath his burden and despairing of help4 ,retire then1 thou poor backslider1 from the haunts of evil--and yet hope for mercy4 ,thy guilt is great1 thy wound is deep1 but there is virtue in the balm of ,gilead when applied by the great ,physician4 ,go1 then1 into thy closet1 shut the door1 confess thy sins1 shed the penitential tear1 and implore forgiveness4 ,here others have acknowledged their iniquities1 and here they have obtained consolation4 ,your case may be desperate1 but it is not hopeless2 and though you may be tempted to despair1 yet resist those whisperings of ,satan1 which1 if listened to1 would seal your final doom4 ,illustration3 ,,james ,,godwin ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,,mr4 ,,beaufoy',s ,,emotion ,,on ,,receiving ,,his ,,mother',s ,,letter4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #bfa4 ,,the ,,fruits ,,of ,,apostasy4 ,as many months had now elapsed since either ,mr4 or ,mrs4 ,beaufoy had been to any place of worship1 the latter availed herself of an opportunity which occurred to allude to it1 when her husband replied1 ,i wish you to go1 ,sophia1 for it is enough that one of us perish4 ,dreading the return of his paroxysm of agony1 she diverted his attention from the subject1 and endeavoured to soothe and cheer his spirits4 ,she so far succeeded as to bring over his countenance the pleasant smile of former times1 but little did she imagine that this pleasing sign was so soon to be obliterated4 ,the servant entered the parlour with a letter1 which she gave to her master4 ,he placed it on the table and sat musing for some minutes4 ,he wept1 though unconscious of the tear that involuntarily trickled down his cheek1 and sighed1 as if unconscious that any ear was listening4 ,he again took the letter--pressed it to his lips1 and wept1 and sighed again1 as though he thought himself alone4 ,yes1 my mother1 ,i know thy hand1 and if thou knewest the agony of my heart1 thou wouldst pity me4 ,he opened it2 but he had not read many words before he started from his seat1 as if wounded by an invisible hand1 then1 with firmly pressed lips1 perused the letter1 threw it on the floor1 and was retiring abruptly from the room1 when he recognized his wife4 ,what's the matter1 ,henry8 she exclaimed1 as she attempted to follow him4 ,read that1 he sternly replied1 pointing to the letter1 and1 suddenly1 walking to the door1 left the house4 ,mrs4 ,beaufoy1 with trembling hand1 picked up the letter and read as follows3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,henry1--,your father is no more3 he died last night1 just as the clock was striking eleven4 ,he ne'er smiled on us after he heard that you had forsaken the ,lord1 and he went to the grave mourning4 ,he said just before he died1 ',tell my dear boy1 for he is still my son1 that my last tear was shed on his account4' ,when ,i wiped off the big tear that was rolling down his cheek1 he became composed for a few minutes1 and then prayed1 ',o ,lord ,god1 heal the backslidings of thine ,ephraim1' and died before he could finish the supplication4 ,and now1 my son1 you have broken your father's heart1 ,i grieve to say it1 and1 ,i believe1 will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave4 ,o6 consider your dreadful state1 and how fearful to think of1 should you be suddenly cut off in it6 ,remember your dear father's last words4 ,i feel quite unable to write you a longer letter to-day4 ,if you can come down to the funeral1 ,i need not say how glad ,i should be to see you2 if not1 may the ,lord reclaim and bless you4 ,i know you love ,sophia1 and ,i wish you to love her2 for she has been a kind wife to you1 and a most attentive daughter to your father and myself1 but ,i fear she has been a snare to you4 ,if she had feared the ,lord she would have kept you from evil4 ,may the ,lord bless and reclaim you both4--,your bereaved mother1 ,,amelia ,,beaufoy4 ,on reading this communication1 ,mrs4 ,beaufoy's conscience smote her1 and she wept long and bitterly4 ,then perusing it anew1 she exclaimed1 ,cruel charge6 ,a snare to my husband6 the cause of his being led astray6 cruel charge6 ,is it not enough for me to bear his unkindness1 without having to endure such reproaches8 ,she threw the letter from her1 and rose1 endeavouring to cast off the load of sorrow which oppressed her spirit4 ,i cannot endure it4 ,i am of all women the most miserable4 ,i have no one to share my grief4 ,oh death6--no6--,i am not prepared to die4 ,she resumed her seat1 and though the letter possessed a sting sharper than that of a scorpion1 she took it1 read it again1 and again it wounded her4 ,if she had feared the ,lord she would have kept you from evil4 ,cruel charge6 ,i have tried to keep him1 but could not4 ,she paused1 then could only ejaculate1 ,woe is me6 ,the ringing of the bell announced the return of ,mr4 ,beaufoy2 but his dark1 lowering look bespoke the inward conflict4 ,on taking his seat his eye caught sight of the letter near the place where he had thrown it down a few hours before4 ,moving back1 as if from an adder1 he said1 ,have you been reading it8 ,yes1 ,henry1 ,i have4 ,and what do you think of the charges8 ,they are cruel4 ,rather say1 they are just1 though severe4 ,you know that ,i have often attempted to reclaim you4 ,but did you not first lead me astray8 ,till ,i knew you ,i was a happy1 because a religious man2 but from that ill-fated hour when1 enticed by your influence and example to abandon the house of prayer for the theatre and ball-room1 ,i have had no mental peace4 ,i have forsaken ,god1 and he1 in anger1 has forsaken me4 ,but why recriminate on me the guilt of your own sin8 ,you have withdrawn from me your love and your society1 and will you now in exchange give me your reproaches8 ,if we have sinned together1 and provoked the ,lord to anger1 let us now kneel together before his mercy-seat1 and together confess our sins1 and implore forgiveness4 ,you may pray and obtain mercy1 but ,i cannot2 no1 ,i cannot4 ,the ,lord waits to be gracious4 ,yes1 to the penitent1 but my heart is too hard to feel penitential sorrow4 ,but is not the ,redeemer exalted to give repentance8 ,to you he will give it1 but not to me4 ,i have fallen away1 and incensed justice renders it impossible to renew me again to repentance1 for ,i have crucified the ,son of ,god afresh1 and put him to an open shame4 ,but justice relents when a sinner prays1 and mercy-- ,oh6 speak not of mercy4 ,but mercy rejoiceth over judgment4 ,yes1 but when mercy is rejected1 as in my case1 justice avenges the insult in a terrible form4 ,let us change the theme1 ,sophia4 ,i am too full of agony to dwell on it4 ,it awakens recollections that ,i wish to banish for ever4 ,it is like handling the deadly weapon which is to extinguish life4 ,the blood of ,christ1 dear ,henry1 cleanseth from all sin4 ,but ,i have counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing4 ,but1 ,henry1 is ,he not still able to save to the uttermost all that come unto ,god by him2 and have you sinned beyond his recovering grace8 ,i know my doom1 he curtly replied4 ,it is not always in our power to ascertain the precise moment when the ,divine ,spirit begins the good work of grace in the heart1 nor yet to say what specific means he employs to effect it1 but sometimes an unpremeditated effort to convey instruction1 or warning1 or consolation to another1 is made to re-act on the speaker to produce the great change4 ,thus it was in the experience of ,mrs4 ,beaufoy4 ,she felt the force of her own remarks1 and when reflecting on them1 at a subsequent period1 she could not but yield to their influence4 ,the charge brought against her1 of having led her husband astray1 she now admitted to be just4 ,but what an admission6 to be not merely accessory to his apostasy1 but the primary cause of it--not merely a partaker of his guilt1 but the means of its contraction and its accumulation4 ,her sin1 which had been concealed from her1 now started up in all its aggravated form and appalling aspect4 ,yes1 'tis true2 if ,i had feared the ,lord1 ,i might have kept him from going astray1 and we might have been walking in his commandments and ordinances blameless4 ,i enticed him from the paths of righteousness1 and into what an abyss of misery are we both plunged6 ,i remember the night when ,i first induced him to leave the house of prayer to accompany me to the theatre1 and ,i remember the anguish of his spirit after our return4 ,i then told him that he would not injure his principles by yielding sometimes to the customs of the world1 but alas1 ,i was deceived6 ,i alone am to blame1 and if ,i could suffer alone1 ,i would patiently endure the terrible inflictions of justice ,i have merited4 ,but alas6 ,i have raised the storm which has long since laid waste all our domestic felicity1 and which is now threatening a deluge of wrath6 ,where1 ,o where1 can we take refuge from the impending evil6 ,as she was thus bemoaning her unhappy state1 she thought of her long-neglected ,bible1 and taking it from the book-case1 she pressed it to her lips and prayed for grace to understand and feel its instructive and consolatory truths4 ,on turning over its pages1 her eye caught the following passage1 which in a few moments mitigated in a slight degree the agitation of her mind--,and a man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind1 and a covert from the tempest2 as rivers of water in a dry place2 as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land4 ,but as there are ,no wounds like those a wounded spirit feels1 so there is ,no cure for such1 till ,god1 who makes them1 heals2 and though her distressed spirit was lifted up above the overwhelming flood1 yet it was still enveloped by the gloom of desponding fears4 ,she attempted to pray1 but her heart was too tightly bound by mental anguish to give vent to her grief4 ,hitherto she had borne her sorrows with an unbending spirit1 and usually wore a placid aspect when in the company of her husband or her other friends2 but now her countenance was changed1 and it was evident her soul was in trouble4 ,you appear unhappy1 said her husband1 one day1 on finding her in tears2 is it on my account or your own8 ,i am unhappy on your account1 ,henry1 and ,i am unhappy on my own2 and ,i know not where to go for relief4 ,i feel the justice of our dear mother's charge1 though ,i deemed it cruel at the time4 ,i have indeed led you astray1 and am the guilty cause of all the misery into which we are both plunged4 ,if ,i could suffer alone1 it would be an alleviation of my anguish1 but ,i cannot4 ,o1 ,henry1 return with me to the ,lord1 from whom we have departed1 and as we have sinned together1 and now suffer together1 let us enter his presence1 and confess our guilt2 and then his anger will be turned away1 and he will comfort us4 ,you may obtain mercy1 ,sophia1 but ,i cannot2 yours have been the sins of ignorance1 but mine have been committed against the clearest light and the deepest conviction of their aggravated guilt4 ,you may plead the promises of the ,bible1 as a sinner under the first convictions of sin2 but ,i bear upon me the reproach of having forsaken the ,god of my mercies2 and while there are no obstructions in the way of your access to the throne of grace1 that throne is guarded by a flaming sword which turneth every way to keep me off from touching the sceptre of mercy4 ,i know my doom1 and ,i deserve it4 ,he continued in this frame of mind for many months2 and though he abandoned the society of his former companions1 and the haunts of evil which he had been accustomed to frequent1 yet no arguments1 however weighty1 or entreaties1 however urgent1 could induce him to revisit a place of worship1 or resume his practice of family devotion4 ,at length an insidious disease1 which had long been undermining his constitution1 began to manifest itself1 and it was evident that his course in this world was fast coming to an end4 ,he was urged to try change of air2 and with this view he proceeded with his wife to the pleasant village of ,parkdale1 from which ,i was somewhat surprised1 shortly after my return from ,fairmount1 to receive a letter written by ,mrs4 ,beaufoy1 earnestly beseeching me to come and see her husband1 as she feared he had not long to live1 and had expressed a wish to see me4 ,my intercourse with ,mr4 ,beaufoy had been completely suspended for some years past4 ,as already mentioned1 his letters first became shorter and more reserved1 and at length ceased altogether4 ,on one occasion that ,i called on him in ,london1 his manner was so dry1 and expressed so little cordiality1 that ,i felt convinced my visit was disagreeable1 and1 consequently1 never repeated it4 ,on hearing1 however1 of his lamentable defection from the path of truth1 ,i deemed it my duty to address two or three letters to him on the subject2 but to none of these did ,i receive any answer4 ,when at ,fairmount1 ,mr4 ,lewellin informed me that he had seen nothing of ,mr4 ,beaufoy for a long time1 as latterly he had become quite estranged from his early friends1 and established himself in the midst of gay and irreligious society4 ,on receiving the above communication1 ,i at once resolved to proceed to ,parkdale1 about forty miles distant1 in the earnest hope that ,i might be of some benefit to ,mr4 ,beaufoy1 whom1 notwithstanding all the past coolness between us1 ,i still continued to regard with considerable interest4 ,on my arrival1 ,i found that ,i had been anxiously expected by his wife1 who appeared to be much relieved at seeing me1 and after a short conversation1 led me to her husband's room4 ,he received me with strong expressions of affection1 and regret for his past rudeness and neglect4 ,o6 ,mr4 ----1 he exclaimed1 this is indeed kindness to come and see a poor dying wretch1 whose conduct has been so deserving of censure4 ,i have been a wicked man1 an undutiful son1 and a renegade from the faith2 and now ,i feel a dagger thrust through my heart1 which can never be removed4 ,dear ,sir1 ,i replied1 there is one ,physician who can remove it1 and one specific that can heal the wound4 ,i know it4 ,i do not doubt his power1 as that would be an insult to his omnipotence2 but ,i cannot believe in his willingness4 ,no1 ,i cannot6 ,but which is the greatest insult1 to doubt his ability to save to the uttermost1 or his willingness8 ,has he not said1 ',him that cometh unto me ,i will in no wise cast out8' ,but1 ,sir1 the passage which you have now quoted1 is addressed to sinners under the first convictions of sin1 and not to apostates who have fallen from their former steadfastness4 ,my doom is fixed1 and you have only to read the words of the prophet to know its nature4 ',because ,i have purged thee1 and thou wast not purged1 thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more1 till ,i have caused my fury to rest upon thee4' ,but why1 my friend1 should you appropriate that awful passage to your condemnation1 when you live under a dispensation of grace1 which has made provision for the salvation of the chief of sinners8 ,i do it1 ,sir1 because ,i know and feel that it is a debt of justice which ,i owe to the insulted grace of ,heaven4 ,that passage is the only one in the ,bible on which ,i can dwell with any degree of ease4 ,but can you derive any mental ease from reflecting on a passage which denounces indignation and wrath8 ,yes1 ,sir1 because then ,i sink to the level of my condition1 and silently approve the equity of the sentence2 but when a promise of mercy recurs to my mind1 its involuntary stirrings to embrace it throw me into a more agonized state of feeling4 ,but ,i do not complain4 ,i deserve all ,i suffer1 and all ,i have to suffer1 and ,i will submissively bear the indignation of the ,lord1 because ,i have sinned against him4 ,may you not hope1 that this spirit of submission to the righteous manifestations of the ,divine displeasure1 is a proof that you are not totally abandoned by him2 for if that were the case1 you would feel disposed1 either to impeach the goodness1 or murmur against the justice of ,god8 ,no1 ,sir1 ,i am not abandoned by him6 ,if ,i were1 ,i should enjoy the fatal ease of unfelt guilt4 ,i am held in bondage1 ,i am alive to the peril of my state1 and am compelled by the irresistible convictions of my conscience to admit the equity of my condemnation1 but ,i dare not hope for any symptoms of returning mercy4 ,returning mercy6 ,no1 mercy is clean gone for ever4 ,nay1 my friend1 the mercy of the ,lord endureth for ever2 he delights in it1 and ,i have no doubt but the ,sun of ,righteousness will break in upon the midnight darkness of your soul1 and cheer you with the returning light and bliss of hope4 ,o6 speak not to me of mercy or of hope6 ,you do but agonize me with fresh tortures4 ,but will you not admit that ,god can turn away his anger from you1 and comfort you8 ,i admit1 ,sir1 that all things are possible with ,god1 which are in accordance with his purity and his justice2 but ,i do not think that he can renew me again unto repentance1 because ,i have crucified to myself the ,son of ,god afresh1 and put him to an open shame4 ,i wish1 therefore1 you would allow me to remain undisturbed by any allusions to mercy1 as such allusions bring to my recollection joys that are past1 never to be recalled1 and plunge me deeper and deeper in the abyss of mental agony4 ,o that ,i had passed from the nuptial altar to a premature grave6 then ,i should have been resting in peace2 but ,i will not reproach4 ,may my sad doom operate as a warning to others against a departure from ,god4 ,i was much distressed at this scene1 but still did not abandon hope2 and1 therefore1 at the urgent solicitation of ,mrs4 ,beaufoy1 consented to remain with them for a few days4 ,his disorder continued to increase1 and on the morning after my arrival1 he consented that his mother should be sent for--a proposal which he had hitherto always rejected1 as his attachment to her1 which was sincere1 made him averse to occasioning her any alarm4 ,on receiving the intelligence of his illness1 which had hitherto been concealed from her1 she hastened to ,parkdale4 ,her son1 on hearing of her arrival1 said to his wife1 ,conceal from my dear mother the state of my mind2 she cannot help me1 and if she knows that ,i die in despair1 she will never taste another drop of comfort in this vale of tears4 ,as she entered the room1 he raised himself on his bed and embraced her1 and they wept in silence together for some minutes4 ,and why1 my son1 she remonstrated1 did you not let me know of your illness before now8 ,i would have come and nursed you as ,i used to do long ago4 ,i hoped that ,i should recover1 mother1 and ,i was unwilling to alarm you4 ,well1 my son1 ,i hope the ,lord is dealing graciously with your soul now you are in the dark valley8 ,he is dealing righteously4 ,yes1 my child1 he always deals righteously2 but is he dealing graciously8 ,a long pause ensued4 ,but why are you silent1 my son8 ,tell your mother how the ,lord is dealing with you4 ,he is dealing righteously with me1 and it is our duty to bow in submission to ,his will4 ,i am happy to hear that you are resigned to ,his will2 that is a proof that ,he is dealing graciously4 ,may the ,lord continue to bless you1 my dear child1 and may ,he lift upon you the light of his countenance and give you peace4 ,on resuming her inquiries next day1 she asked him1 ,have you a good hope through grace1 of being presented faultless before the presence of the ,lord with exceeding joy8 ,to throw off the veil of concealment which ,i wished to rest over the state of my mind1 ,i confess1 my dear mother1 that ,i have no hope4 ,no hope1 my child6 ,not one cheerful beam of hope6 ,is the ,lord's arm shortened1 that he cannot save8 or is his ear heavy1 that he cannot hear8 ,no2 he is the same yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever2 and it is his immutability that plunges me into despair4 ,how so1 my dear son8 ,he is immutable in his threatenings against those who depart from him4 ,and is ,he not immutable in his promises of mercy to those who wish to return8 ,but there are no promises of mercy that suit my case4 ,no promises6 ,why1 don't you recollect what our blessed ,lord said1 ',him that cometh unto me ,i will in no wise cast out8' ,and don't you recollect what ,paul says1 ',wherefore he is able also to save to the uttermost all that come unto ,god by him1 seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them8' ,oh1 mother1 ,i have gone away from ,him who hath the words of eternal life4 ,then come back2 ,he will not cast you out4 ,does the shepherd refuse to take back the lamb into his fold1 which has happened to stray from him8 ,but ,i have no strength to return4 ,but you can pray2 and as the shepherd goes to look after the strayed lamb1 when he hears his bleating1 so our blessed ,lord will have compassion on you who may be out of the way1 and will not suffer you to perish1 if you wish to return to him4 ,don't despair of mercy1 my son1 while our blessed ,lord lives to intercede for the chief of sinners4 ,these tender appeals coming from the lips of his mother1 reduced his spirit to a more composed state1 and for the first time he wept4 ,when she saw his tears1 she wept with him1 and said1 ,i am glad to see you weep2 it is the first sign of returning mercy4 ,mercy6 no6 he replied2 mercy1 ,i fear1 will return no more6 ,i have despised and insulted mercy1 and am consigned over to the offended justice of ,heaven4 ,it must be a miracle of mercy to recover me from the ruin ,i have brought upon myself4 ,very true1 my child2 and mercy often performs a miracle of grace2 and if you look by faith to ,christ1 he will recover you1 and he will put a new song into your mouth1 'even praise unto our ,god3 many shall see it and fear1 and shall trust in the ,lord4' ,on the evening of the day following his mother's arrival1 as we were all standing round his bedside1 she asked him if he yet felt more composed1 or if he could indulge a good hope of future happiness4 ,composed1 mother6 ,no1 ,i am in perfect anguish1 and expect to be lost4 ,but he who raiseth the whirlwind1 and directeth the storm1 is the ,god of salvation2 and though he allow all his waves and his billows to go over you1 yet he will command his loving-kindness in the daytime2 and when the thickest darkness of the night comes upon you1 then his song shall be with you1 and your prayer shall be unto the ,god of your life4 ,o mother1 ,i am about to leave you1 and you1 my wife2 and ,i leave you with a full conviction that we shall never meet again4 ,a few hours will decide the long-agitated question-- ',am ,i his1 or am ,i not8' ,i wish you would retire and leave me1 nor suffer any one to disturb me1 as ,i wish to be alone for a little4 ,i shall ring the bell when ,i am prepared to see you again4 ,we withdrew to an adjoining room1 when his mother said to his afflicted wife1 ,this is a solemn moment4 ,you are about to lose a husband1 and ,i a son2 but if it should please the ,lord to visit him with the light of his reconciled countenance1 ,i trust we should then be enabled to bow down in submission to his sovereign will4 ,i then1 at their request1 knelt down and prayed1 as ,elijah prayed when he besought the ,lord to send forth the rain of heaven to refresh the parched lands of ,israel4 ,when ,i had finished1 old ,mrs4 ,beaufoy said1 ,let us go and see if there be yet any signs of returning mercy4 ,but1 said her daughter-in-law1 perhaps he is now wrestling with the ,lord1 and if we go we may disturb him and ruffle his spirits4 ,such1 however1 was the yearning of his mother's heart1 that she could not refrain from going to listen1 if1 peradventure1 she might hear something to comfort her4 ,she heard him repeat again and again1 ,lord ,jesus1 have mercy upon me6 ,lord1 save1 or ,i perish6 ,just as she was returning to inform us that the silence of despondency was broken by the voice of prayer1 the bell rang1 and we entered the room together4 ,well1 my child1 said his mother1 ,i hope the ,lord is now dealing graciously with you4 ,he is dealing righteously2 and against the equity of his conduct ,i can raise no objection4 ,he is just when he takes vengeance4 ,after a long pause1 during which time the terror of unabated agony was depicted in every countenance1 he raised his down-cast eyes towards heaven1 and1 with a feeble voice modulated to the subduing tenderness of the expression1 he said-- ,yet save a trembling sinner1 ,lord1 ,whose hope1 still hovering round thy word1 ,would light on some sweet promise there1 ,some sure support against despair4 ,he now became exhausted1 and reclining his head on the pillow1 fell asleep1 and slept several hours4 ,when he awoke1 he was composed and calm1 and said1 ,my sleep has been refreshing to me4 ,i hope1 said his mother1 that your soul is refreshed1 as well as your body4 ,i am more composed than ,i ever expected to be1 but ,i am not happy4 ,my composure is no less a source of terror than my former agitation1 as ,i know that the cessation of pain is sometimes an indication that the disorder is approaching a fatal termination1 even when the patient may be anticipating his recovery4 ,but1 my friend1 said ,i1 the terror you feel under your composure1 is a proof that you are unwilling to seize a premature hope2 and may be regarded as an evidence1 that the ,lord who refused to appear in the whirlwind1 in the earthquake1 or in the fire1 is graciously appearing in the still small voice of love4 ,oh1 my old and tried friend1 my sins appear too great and too aggravated to be forgiven4 ,but1 ,henry1 the blood of ,jesus ,christ cleanseth from all sin2 and ,he is sent1 not only to proclaim liberty to the captive soul1 but to heal the broken-hearted4 ,oh6 he exclaimed1 ,i would believe4 ,lord1 help my unbelief4 ,death was now rapidly approaching2 and having pressed the hands of each of us1 he reclined his head on his wife's bosom1 and fainted away4 ,on recovering from this fit1 which lasted several minutes1 he once more opened his eyes1 and casting a mournful look on us1 said1 ,i die an unworthy and guilty sinner at the foot of the cross2 but will ,he permit me to perish when crying to ,him to save me8 ,impossible6 he exclaimed2 and then1 as if having exhausted all his strength by this last effort1 his head fell back on the pillow1 and he expired4 ,thus died ,henry ,beaufoy1 who1 in his youthful days1 bade fair to exhibit1 in after life1 an example of the beauty and consistency of the ,christian character2 but having been seduced from the paths of wisdom and of piety1 he entered upon a career of evil1 which at length brought him to a premature grave4 ,his submission at the last to the visitations of ,providence1 as an infliction which he deserved2 and the avowal he made1 when yielding up the ghost1 gave to his surviving friends a hope that he died in the ,lord1 and is at rest from his sorrows2 but still gloomy shadows would sometimes fall upon their spirits1 and they often sighed and wept over his memory1 as of one who had come short of the kingdom of heaven4 ,as female influence is so powerful1 and has often been employed to seduce the man who fears the ,lord1 from the paths of righteousness and the ways of peace1 let him be on his guard when about to form a connection for life1 and not suffer beauty and accomplishments to become a substitute for decided piety4 ,he may think that he shall be able to withstand every ensnaring art1 and every fond entreaty1 and that he shall ultimately gain over his wife to the obedience of faith2 but in this he may be deceived1 and have cause to mourn over the consequences of his imprudence1 when it is too late4 ,but if a man should violate the sanctity of the ,divine law1 and marry a woman who is not decidedly pious1 let her be on her guard1 lest she become the cause of his moral ruin4 ,let her beware of enticing him to a theatre1 or an evening party1 when his inclinations would take him to the house of prayer--let her beware of manifesting a spirit of indifference or hostility to the practice of family devotion1 which his conscience constrains him to observe4 ,she may not regard such proceedings as wrong1 or likely to prove injurious to the reputation or the happiness of her husband1 but she may be mistaken2 and if her persuasions or her indifference should prove successful1 as is too often the case1 she may be called to feel the bitter consequences of her folly and her guilt1 amidst the wreck of domestic happiness4 ,she may suppose1 that the religion of her husband1 like her own1 has nought to do with the inner man of the heart1 and that it may be thrown aside1 and resumed1 as caprice may dictate1 but she is mistaken2 and if she should induce him to abandon it for a season1 she may live to be stung by his reproaches1 and tortured by her own1 when he is brought to suffer the due reward of his deeds4 ,from the preceding sketch1 which has been taken1 not from the conceptions of my own fancy1 but the facts of real life1 we may see that it is an evil thing to forsake the ,lord ,god2 and though his tender mercy may stoop to recover the backslider just as he is sinking into despair1 yet he seldom throws the light of his countenance over the death-bed of such an individual4 ,i am aware that some employ the partial and the final apostasy of professors1 as an argument to prove that our perseverance in religion is quite precarious and uncertain1 depending solely on ourselves1 without any regard to the counsel of ,jehovah4 ,that it does depend on ourselves1 ,i admit--but not solely4 ,we are to walk in the ways of the ,lord2 but he has promised to uphold our goings1 that our footsteps slip not4 ,we are to cleave to him with full purpose of heart2 but he has promised never to leave us1 nor forsake us4 ,we are commanded to keep ourselves in the love of ,god1 looking for the mercy of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ unto eternal life2 but he has promised to keep us by his power through faith unto salvation4 ,we know that the beginning of the work of grace in the heart1 is to be ascribed to the immediate operations of his power2 and it is to be viewed as the commencement of a continued series of operations1 which will ultimately issue in the salvation of the soul4 ,and though the faith of some may be overthrown1 nevertheless1 the foundation of ,god standeth sure1 having this seal1 the ,lord knoweth them that are his4 ,and1 let every one that nameth the name of ,christ depart from iniquity4 ,his designs will be accomplished1 but accomplished in a natural way4 ,they do not supersede the necessity of our exertions4 ,they do not suppose that we are passive machines1 acted on by some supernatural power2 but living agents1 endowed with a ,divine principle1 which works within us both to will and to do4 ,they do not relax our obligations to watchfulness--to prayer--to an avoidance of evil--and to the cultivation of the spirit and habits of devotion1 but increase them2 and the reciprocal influence of our exertions1 and of the concurrence of ,divine strength1 is so nicely balanced in the purpose of grace1 that while we are compelled to ascribe to ,god the honour of our preservation and final salvation1 yet we are made responsible for every act of transgression and disobedience4 ,wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth1 take heed lest he fall 7#a ,cor4 x4 #ab74 ,one of the chief causes of decay in religion1 is our forgetting that the means necessary for first bringing us to ,god1 are no less essential for retaining us steadily in a close walk with him4 ,to watch and pray was no less the duty of the disciples1 when they had left all for ,christ1 than when they first approached his presence1 and sought his pardon and love4 ,he has prayed that we may be kept from the evil of the world2 but we must look for an answer to this prayer--in our choice of good1 and rejection of evil--in the control of our passions--and in the integrity and uprightness of our conduct4 ,it has been observed1 that apostasy begins in the closet2 secret prayer is at first carelessly performed--then occasionally omitted--and then entirely neglected4 ,when this is the case1 the religious taste becomes fastidious--a roving habit is often indulged--the customs of the world are yielded to1 and the principle of sin1 which once lay dormant in the heart1 rises up with renewed strength1 and breaks forth in open manifestations of evil4 ,this process in moral degeneracy may be slow or rapid1 according to the degree of influence which circumstances may be permitted to supply1 but when it has once begun1 it is always going on2 and though it may not be in our power to assign the primary cause1 yet too much secular prosperity is generally one of the most operative4 ,the more a ,christian is indulged with temporal blessings--the higher he or his family rises in the world--the more he ought to have his heart glowing with love and gratitude to ,god4 ,but so inveterate is the depravity of human nature1 that uninterrupted prosperity imperceptibly deadens the best affections of the soul1 which becomes so completely engrossed in worldly objects and pursuits1 that religion is rarely thought of but on ,sabbath1 and even then it is entangled and mixed up with the things of time and sense4 ,when prosperity comes thus to act on a person who possesses only the form of godliness1 while destitute of its power1 its fatal effects may be looked for with almost perfect certainty4 ,another cause of the evil which we are so often called to deplore is the indulgence of a speculative turn of mind in matters of religion4 ,we are commanded to search the ,scriptures--to prove all things1 and hold fast that which is good4 ,when this investigation is pursued from a pure motive1 and a spirit of prayer attends it--keeping the mind in a teachable and devotional frame--the greatest benefit will be the result4 ,but when once the ,word of ,god is treated with levity--when liberties are taken with it--when one part of it is impugned as mysterious1 another rejected as apparently contradictory--when its doctrines are denounced1 as incomprehensible1 and its precepts objected to1 because they are too unaccommodating to the habits of the age--an evil spirit enters into the heart1 which first corrupts it and then entangles it in a labyrinth of error4 ,this spirit of unbelief commences its operation by reducing the magnitude of the evil of sin2 the necessity and then the reality of the atonement is rejected2 prayer is considered useless2 the influence of the ,holy ,spirit in the renovation and sanctification of the heart is denied2 and then the apostasy becomes complete4 ,but one of the most prevalent causes of this evil is an adoption of the principles and a compliance with the customs of the world4 ,there are some customs which exist amongst us to which we must conform2 but there are others from which we are commanded to abstain4 ,we may mingle with the men of the world in business1 and also in social life2 but we are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness1 but rather reprove them4 ,we may1 in common with others1 have our social enjoyments1 and partake of the innocent recreations of life1 without sustaining injury to our morals or our ,christian reputation2 but if we venture to cross the line which separates the lawful from forbidden ground--if we form habits which the spirit of the gospel condemns1 and venture into those places of amusement to which the children of folly are so much attached--though we may not immediately feel their corrupting influence1 yet we shall become bitterly sensible of it at last1 when the evil is beyond our control4 ,we may silence the remonstrances of conscience1 by resolving not to depart from the ways of righteousness1 and may affect to treat with contempt the kind admonitions of our more pious friends2 but by no species of artifice shall we be able to form a junction between the spirit of ,christ and the spirit of the world2 or retain the fervour of devotion within the walls of an assembly-room or a theatre4 ,the experiment has been often made1 and the result always proves morally disastrous4 ,in some instances the professor has passed from all connection with pure spiritual religion1 into a state of confirmed indifference or avowed hostility2 in others1 he has retained the form1 while he has lost the spirit of devotion1 and the closing scene of his life has been occupied by the most heart-rending reproaches and the bitterest lamentations of misery and woe4 ,as apostasy from the faith and purity of the gospel1 from whatever causes it may proceed1 invariably inflicts on the apostate1 when awakened to a clear perception of his sin and danger1 the most awful and agonizing mental sufferings1 ,i wish to do all that is in my power to arrest his progress ere it be too late1 and lead him back to the source of pure felicity1 which he has forsaken4 ,i would ask him if the gaieties1 the follies1 and the amusements of the world1 afford him such substantial happiness as he once enjoyed1 when he walked in the light of ,god's countenance8 ,i would ask him if he does not often regret the exchange he has made8 and as often condemn himself for his folly and ingratitude in having made it8 ,i would ask him if he does not wish to return once more to taste that the ,lord is gracious--once more to feel that ,christ is precious--once more to partake of the peace which passeth all understanding--and to live1 as in the early days of his profession1 in the sublime anticipations of eternal glory8 ,i would ask1 ,have you never made the attempt8 ,as time advances1 are you not gradually sinking into a state of mental dejection1 from which you see no chance of being delivered8 ,i do not propose these questions to inflict fresh torment1 or increase the anguish which presses upon your guilty conscience1 but to induce you to return to the ,lord from whom you have departed1 that you may again experience his loving-kindness1 and that your prayers1 mingled with songs of praise1 may again ascend to the ,god of your salvation4 ,in illustration of this subject1 ,i shall here conclude by quoting the following from a deceased divine3--,if you ask1 ,but how am ,i to return8 how am ,i to regain my long-lost peace8 ,i answer1 ,in the same way in which you first found rest to your soul1 namely1 by repentance towards ,god1 and faith towards our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,in general1 ,i may observe1 the ,scriptures assure us of the exceeding great and tender mercy of ,god1 and of his willingness to forgive all those who return to him in the name of his ,son4 ,it is necessary that we be well persuaded of this truth1 lest instead of applying as supplicants1 we sink into despair4 ,if a sinner1 newly awakened1 be in danger of this species of despondency1 a backslider is still more so4 ,his transgressions are much more heinous in their circumstances than those of the other1 having been committed under greater light and against greater obligations2 and when to this is added the treatment which his conduct must necessarily draw upon him from his religious connections1 he may be tempted to relinquish all hopes of recovery1 and consider himself as an outcast1 both from ,god and man4 ,unhappy man6 ,thy sin may be great1 and the language of an awakened conscience may suggest1 ,who can heal me8 ,yet do not despair4 ',hear what ,god the ,lord will speak4 ,he will speak peace unto his people and to his saints3 but let them not turn again to folly4' ,there are circumstances which may render it almost impossible for forgiveness to be exercised amongst men2 and therefore men are ready to think it must be so with respect to ,god4 ',but with the ,lord there is mercy1 and with him there is plenteous redemption4' ,he will not only pardon1 but pardon abundantly3 'for his thoughts are not as our thoughts1 nor his ways as our ways4 ,for as the heavens are higher than the earth1 so are his ways than our ways1 and his thoughts than our thoughts4--,the blood of ,jesus ,christ his ,son cleanseth from all sin4--,if we confess our sins1 he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness4' ,the threatenings against the unpardonable sin itself do not affect the truth of these merciful declarations3 for that sin is all along described as excluding repentance1 as well as forgiveness4 ,the party is supposed to be given up to hardness of heart4 ,if1 therefore1 we confess our sin with contrition1 we may be certain it is not unpardonable1 and that we shall obtain mercy through the blood of the cross4 ,but the great question is1 ,how we shall repent of our sins1 and return to ,god by ,jesus ,christ4 ,undoubtedly it is much easier to get out of the way1 than to get in again2 to lose the peace of our minds1 than to recover it4 ,sin is of a hardening nature2 and the farther we have proceeded in it1 the more inextricable are its entanglements4 ,but1 however this be1 we either do desire to return1 or we do not4 ,if my reader be in such a state of mind1 it is with a mixture of hope and tenderness that ,i attempt to point out to him the means of recovery4 ,i would recommend you to embrace every possible season of retirement for reading the ,holy ,scriptures1 especially those parts which are suited to your case1 and accompany your reading with prayer4 ,god's ,word hid in the heart is not only a preservative against sin1 but a restorative from its evil effects4 ,it both wounds and heals2 if it rebukes1 it is with the faithfulness of a friend1 or if it consoles1 its consolations will melt us into contrition4 ,read especially those parts of ,scripture which are addressed to persons in your situation1 as the second chapter of ,jeremiah2 or those which express the desires of a returning sinner1 as the twenty-fifth1 thirty-second1 thirty-eighth1 fifty-first1 and hundred and thirtieth ,psalms4 ,you may not be able to adopt all this language as your own2 but1 nevertheless1 it may be useful4 ,to read the genuine expressions of a contrite heart1 may produce at least a conviction of the disparity between the frame of mind possessed by the writer and yourself2 and such a conviction may be accompanied with a sensation of shame and grief4 ,it is also of importance that you read the ,scriptures by yourself4 ,to read a portion of them in your families is right1 and ought not to be neglected2 but there is a great difference1 as to personal advantage1 between this and reading them alone4 ,your mind may then be more at liberty for reflection2 you can read1 and pause1 and think1 and apply the subject to your case4 ,it is of still greater importance to unite prayer with it4 ,reading the ,word of ,god and prayer are duties which mutually assist each other3 the one furnishes us with confessions1 pleas1 and arguments1 while the other promotes solemnity and spirituality of mind1 which goes farther towards our understanding of the ,scriptures than a library of expositions4 ,it was in one of these seasons of retirement that ,david put up this petition1 ',i have gone astray like a lost sheep2 seek thy servant1 for ,i do not forget thy commandments4' ,he seems to have had in his thoughts the condition of a poor wandering sheep1 that had left the flock and the rich pastures where it was wont to be led1 ranging rather like a native of the woods1 than one who had been used to be led1 and fed1 and protected by an owner4 ,bewildered by its own wanderings1 entangled in the thorns and briars of the wilderness1 and exposed to beasts of prey1 it feels its forlorn condition1 and bleats after the shepherd and the flock6 ,is there nothing in this that may suit your case8 ,yes1 thou art the man6 ,thou hast gone astray like a lost sheep1 got entangled in thine own corruptions1 and knowest not how to find the way back2 yet it may be thou hast not utterly lost the remembrance of those happy days before thou wert led to deviate from the right path4 ,let thy prayer then be directed1 like that of the psalmist1 to the good ,shepherd of the sheep3 ',seek thy servant4' ,prayer is a religious exercise which is necessary to accompany all others4 ',in every thing by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god4' ,solemn approaches to ,god are adapted to impress the mind with a sense of sin1 and to inspire us with self-abhorrence on account of it4 ,it was by a view of the holiness of ,god that ,isaiah felt himself to be a 'man of unclean lips2' and it was by conversing with the ,lord that ,job was brought to abhor himself1 and repent in dust and ashes4 ,the very exercise of prayer carries in it an implication that 'our help must come from above2' a truth which in all cases it is absolutely necessary for us to know1 and with which1 in this case especially1 we cannot be too deeply impressed4 ,we easily get out of the way2 but if ever we return to it1 it must be by ,his influence1 who restoreth our souls and leadeth us in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake4 ,to tell a person who is out of the way1 that he has no help in himself1 and that if ever he get in again it must be by the restoring grace of ,god1 may seem to some people paradoxical and disheartening2 but it is a truth1 and a truth which1 if properly understood and felt1 would go farther towards our recovery than we at first may apprehend4 ,paul found that 'when he was weak then was he strong1' and many others have found the same4 ,the more we are emptied of self-sufficiency1 the more sensibly shall we feel our weakness1 and the more importunately implore that the ,lord would save us1 and restore us4 ,this was the way in which we at first found rest for our souls1 and this must be the way in which we recover it4 ,an awakened sinner frequently labours hard after peace1 without being able to obtain it4 ,wherefore8 ',because he seeks it not by faith1 but by the works of the law4' ,in all his labours there is a large portion of self-righteous hope1 or an idea that ,god will pity him on account of his endeavours to please him4 ,but if ever he obtain peace1 it must be by utterly despairing of all help from himself2 and falling1 as a sinner entirely lost1 into the arms of sovereign mercy4 ,this is walking in the good old way1 which brings rest to the soul2 and the same sense of our insufficiency which is necessary to find rest in the first instance1 is equally necessary to find it on all future occasions4 ,we may pray from year to year1 and all without effect4 ,it is only the 'prayer of faith' that succeeds2 the distinguishing characteristic of which is a sense of there being no help in us1 and a laying hold of the mercy and faithfulness of ,god1 as revealed in the gospel4 ,david for a time groaned1 and even roared1 'by reason of the disquietness of his heart2' but he obtained no relief from this4 ,on the contrary1 he sunk deeper and deeper into despondency4 ,at length he betook him to another manner of praying3 ',out of the depths cried ,i unto thee--and thou heardest my voice6' ,we find him here pleading the exceeding greatness of ,god's mercy1 and the plenteousness of his redemption4 ,here he found rest for his soul6 ,jonah also for a time was in much the same state4 ,with a conscience so far awakened as to deprive him of all enjoyment1 he retired to the bottom of the ship2 and1 wearied with the load of his guilt1 slept away his time4 ,even the horrors of a tempest did not awaken him4 ,at length being roused and reproved by heathens1 and marked out by lot as the guilty person1 he confesses who he is1 and what he had done1 and advises them to cast him into the sea4 ,humanity struggles for a time with the elements1 but in vain2 he must be cast away4 ,think what must have been his state of mind at this time6 ,he is thrown into the deep1 is swallowed by a fish1 and retains his reason even in that situation2 but no light shines upon his soul4 ,conceiving himself to be on the point of death1 his heart sighed within him1 ',i am cast out of thy sight6' ,but ere the thought had well passed through his mind1 another struck him1 ',yet will ,i look again towards thy holy temple6' ,he looked1 and was lightened3 ',out of the belly of hell cried ,i unto thee1 and thou heardest my voice6 ,when my soul fainted within me1 ,i remembered the ,lord2 and my prayer came in unto thee1 into thine holy temple4'#ba #ba ,the author is indebted to a work of the late ,rev4 ,a4 ,fuller for the quotation with which this chapter closes4 ,,the ,,farm-,,house ,,kitchen4 ,in the parish of ,woodford1 about twenty miles from the town where ,i resided1 there were a few cottages1 pleasantly situated on an eminence which commanded a beautiful and extensive view of the surrounding country4 ,they were principally occupied by the peasantry who were employed on the neighbouring farms4 ,no less than five church spires could be seen rising in the distance1 from amongst the trees1 of different parishes2 but they were too remote for the aged and the infirm to visit1 and the more robust and healthy were also very ready to plead the length of the way as an excuse for their non-attendance at public worship4 ,mr4 ,annesley1 a ,dissenting minister in the village of ,woodford1 on passing this hamlet one summer evening1 had his attention arrested by an interesting looking young man1 about the age of four and twenty1 who appeared to be in the last stage of a decline4 ,he presented to him a few religious tracts1 which the young man received with an air of indifference2 but when informed that they were intended to prepare him for that world into which he was likely soon to enter1 he seemed pleased1 and said1 ,that is what ,i want1 ,sir4 ,this young man1 who was the son of a respectable farmer1 lived about two months after the first interview ,mr4 ,annesley had with him2 and died avowing his entire dependence on the death of ,jesus ,christ for eternal life3 blessing ,god in the most simple and ardent terms1 for his goodness in sending to him at the eleventh hour a knowledge of the way of salvation4 ,illustration3 ,,james ,,godwin ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,,bringing ,,in ,,the ,,last ,,load ,,of ,,corn4 ,,the ,,reapers' ,,hymn ,,of ,,praise4 ,vol4 ii4 page #bhe4 ,after his death1 the old farmer1 his father1 when lamenting that they enjoyed no religious advantages in that remote part of the parish1 very readily consented to have his large kitchen licensed for preaching2 and ,mr4 ,annesley engaged to give them a sermon on ,tuesdays every week4 ,when he commenced his labours he had to pass through the ordeal of mockery and contempt4 ,sometimes he was insulted by the poor rustics1 when attempting to explain to them the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven2 but by visiting them in their own cottages1 and displaying a kind and affectionate disposition1 he gained their confidence and esteem1 and they pressed to hear him with devout and earnest attention4 ,having resolved to make an excursion to ,woodford1 and pay a visit to this rural place of worship1 of which ,i had often heard1 ,i took my seat in the coach1 one afternoon in the month of ,september1 as far as the village of ,woodford1 from which it was a walk of three miles to the farm-house4 ,the weather was unusually hot for the season of the year2 but towards the evening1 the cool breezes which sprung up made me enjoy my journey exceedingly4 ,after getting down from the coach1 ,i quitted the village by a cross road1 and then turned aside into a fine shady lane4 ,on passing by a farm-yard1 ,i observed an extraordinary rush of men1 women1 and children1 and being anxious to know the cause of it1 ,i advanced into the yard1 where ,i saw a group marching before the last load of com1 which they were bringing from the field1 and singing the following1 as a harvest hymn of praise3-- ,but now his hand hath crown'd our toil1 ,we joy like those that share the spoil1 ,the harvest home to bear3 ,with shouts the laughing pastures ring2 ,with grateful hearts we reapers sing ,the praise of heaven's eternal ,king1 ,through whose paternal care we bring ,the produce of the year4 ,i tarried some time1 intermingling my feelings with those of the enraptured swains1 and participating with them in this feast of innocent delight2 but on looking at my watch ,i found that ,i must hasten onwards1 or ,i should be deprived of the higher gratification of witnessing a more interesting and a more important sight4 ,on proceeding up the lane that led to the rural temple of devotion1 ,i occasionally heard the harmony of ,zion's strains1 which became more distinct and impressive as ,i drew nearer1 till at length ,i was enabled to catch the following words which the congregation were singing3-- ,shall ,i beneath thy gospel stay1 ,and hear the call of grace2 ,and at the awful judgment-day1 ,be banish'd from thy face8 ,i got into the passage just as ,mr4 ,annesley arose to pray1 but ,i did not choose to advance1 lest ,i should disturb the devotions of the little assembly4 ,while standing there1 two ladies approached towards the door1 and1 like myself1 waited in silence till the prayer was ended1 when we all entered together4 ,our appearance excited considerable attention1 but whenever we had taken our seats1 every eye was attentively directed towards the minister4 ,to one who has been accustomed to offer up his prayers and his praises1 in the fixed and appropriate language of our national liturgy--and to listen to the enunciation of life and immortality within the walls of a church--the scene of rustic simplicity exhibited in this farm-house kitchen must have appeared very singular4 ,mr4 ,annesley stood in a corner of the room1 his ,bible lying open before him on a small round deal table1 the family clock ticking behind him2 his rustic audience was variously disposed of--some sitting on the dresser to his right1 others in the chimney-corner to the left1 the majority on forms in front of him1 and a few bending forwards from the passage1 being incapable of gaining admission4 ,as they were singing the hymn which intervenes between the prayer and sermon1 an expression which ,i had recently met with came to my mind1 and with such force1 that no external decoration was wanted to render either the place or the truth more acceptable to my taste--,a religion without a ,saviour1 is the temple without its glory1 and its worshippers will all desert it4 ,just as the minister read his text1 the countenances of several changed2 all were attentive1 and appeared to have forgotten the toils and the fatigues of labour1 while listening to the discourse1 which was founded on the following words of ,jesus ,christ3--,but there are some of you that believe not 7,john vi4 #fd74 ,he had not been speaking long1 before my spirit involuntarily said1 ,here is religion with a ,saviour1 and wherever his truth is preached1 there he condescends to dwell4 ,illustration3 ,j4 ,,godwin4 ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas ,,the ,,farm-,,house ,,kitchen4 ,vol4 ii4 page #bhf4 ,the sermon delivered was simple1 perspicuous1 and well calculated to fix the attention of the audience4 ,the figures of illustration and description were selected from the rural scenes and occupations with which the congregation were familiar2 and from the looks1 the tones1 and the actions of the speaker1 it was evident that he was really in earnest1 and desired to impress his hearers with his own views and feelings4 ,when expostulating with those who did not believe1 he suddenly paused1 his eyes1 more than half suffused with tears1 told more forcibly than language could express1 how deeply he felt2 while his lips1 quivering with tremulous anxiety1 gave utterance to the interrogation--,why won't you come to ,jesus ,christ1 and be saved8 ,do you think you need no ,saviour8 ,impossible6 ,do you imagine that he is unable to save you8 ,do you suppose he is unwilling to save you8 ,impossible6 ,do you think you are in no danger of being lost8 ,do you imagine that the misery of a lost soul is less terrible than the ,scriptures represent it8 or that the happiness of a redeemed spirit is less joyous8 ,impossible6 ,why then won't you come to ,jesus ,christ1 and be saved8 ,no profound arguments were employed in pressing on the attention of his rustic audience these pointed questions1 and yet they came with an almost irresistible force4 ,as the people were retiring1 ,i heard some of them saying to one another1 ,ah6 why don't we come to ,jesus ,christ1 and be saved8 ,being seated nearly opposite the two ladies who entered along with me1 ,i could not avoid noticing the behaviour of one of them1 which contrasted strongly with the simple and devout attention of the cottagers4 ,sometimes she listened with apparent seriousness1 but more than once the smile of contempt and the look of scorn seemed to gather on her countenance2 and at one part of the sermon1 when the preacher was speaking of the entire depravity of the human heart1 she made an effort to leave1 but was apparently prevented from doing so by her friend4 ,when1 however1 this simple question fell from ,mr4 ,annesley's lips1 she became still and thoughtful1 and ,i observed tears fall from her eyes1 an unconscious response to the earnest appeals of the preacher4 ,after service ,i introduced myself to ,mr4 ,annesley1 who insisted on my spending the night at his house4 ,on our talking over the occurrences of the evening1 ,i mentioned what ,i had noticed in the conduct of one of the ladies1 and expressed my belief that her heart was penetrated by what she had heard4 ,if1 ,sir1 he remarked1 that lady should be converted1 she will be a living witness of the truth of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 and afford a strong corroborative testimony of its ,divine origin4 ,i have1 he added1 no personal acquaintance with her2 nor was ,i aware that she was present this evening1 till ,i saw her leaving at the conclusion of the service1 but ,i have long known her character2 she resides at ,hollyton1 a village about a mile and a half distant1 and1 ,i believe1 is one of the most agreeable women you could meet with in society1 but she is a professed infidel2 and though most of her relatives and friends are religious1 she will rarely consent to attend any place of worship with them4 ,she says that the scheme of salvation is a cunningly devised fable1 got up by the priesthood1 and palmed upon our hopes and fears by the policy of our rulers2 and unhesitatingly avows that it is the duty of every person1 who feels a proper respect for the dignity of the human species1 to employ all his influence to dissipate the delusion4 ,she will not1 ,i understand1 enter into any discussion on the ,christian religion1 because1 she says1 no evidence could induce her to believe it--no1 not if she had seen the miracles performed which are ascribed to ,christ and his apostles--and often quotes the inconsistent conduct of its professors1 to show that its moral tendency is unfavourable to the growth of virtue4 ,the lady who accompanied her is of a very different stamp1 and a pious member of the church4 ,i presume her influence has induced ,mrs4 ,farrington to attend our meeting this evening4 ,i trust that she may yet be led to see and repent of her errors4 ,i am mistaken1 ,i remarked1 if her scepticism has not received its death-blow to-night4 ,she will be thinking soon about coming to ,jesus ,christ to be saved4 ,amen4 ,the ,lord grant that it may be so4 ,i then referred to the interesting scene ,i had witnessed on my way to the farm-house1 and was informed by ,mr4 ,annesley that the labourers whose festivities ,i had witnessed1 belonged for the most part to his regular congregation at ,woodford1 and were in the employment of ,farmer ,hopkins1 one of the most esteemed and influential members of his church4 ,the next morning1 as we were sitting at breakfast1 a note was handed to ,mr4 ,annesley from ,mrs4 ,farrington1 requesting that he would be so kind as call on her in the course of the forenoon4 ,she added1 that she understood he had a clerical friend with him at present1 whom she had observed at the meeting on the previous evening1 and that she would feel much gratified if he would accompany him4 ,your discourse1 ,i observed1 has already borne fruit4 ,i trust so1 he replied4 ,you will of course go with me on this visit to ,mrs4 ,farrington's4 ,i have never been in her house1 and ,i should like to have a friend with me1 more especially as she seems anxious for it herself4 ,i would have excused myself1 on the ground that ,i had already been longer absent from home than ,i had intended2 but my objections were overruled1 and ,i consented to remain another night with ,mr4 ,annesley1 and return to town next morning4 ,in the course of the forenoon1 we proceeded to ,mrs4 ,farrington's1 and were received by her with the utmost courtesy4 ,she mentioned that she had recognized me the previous evening as a clergyman in ----1 whom she had once heard preach1 and on her way home she had learned that ,i was to be the guest of ,mr4 ,annesley for the night4 ,she endeavoured to assume her accustomed ease and sprightliness of manner2 but still ,i felt persuaded that she was labouring under strong mental depression1 which she was anxious to conceal4 ,the conversation turned on the scenery around us1 which had now assumed the beautiful autumnal tinge2 and when ,mrs4 ,farrington pointed to a double row of fine elm trees1 whose thick and extended branches overshadowed a lovely walk in the front of her cottage1 ,i could not refrain from repeating the following lines of ,cowper3-- ,meditations here1 ,may think down hours to moments4 ,here the heart ,may give a useful lesson to the head2 ,and learning wiser grow1 without his books4 ,but1 said ,mrs4 ,farrington1 to quote from the same author-- ',knowledge and wisdom1 far from being one1 ,have ofttimes no connection4 ,knowledge dwells ,in heads replete with thoughts of other men2 ,wisdom in minds attentive to their own4' ,very true1 said ,mr4 ,annesley1 and hence we sometimes see those who are endowed with the greatest intellectual talents1 and enriched with the largest stores of knowledge1 acting the most foolish parts in the drama of life1 and terminating their career without any hope of a blissful immortality4 ,this allusion to a future world1 threw a shade over the countenance of ,mrs4 ,farrington1 and more than once she endeavoured with difficulty to suppress a sigh4 ,we have high authority for saying1 ,i remarked1 that it is not good for the soul to be without knowledge2 but considering the relation in which we stand to ,god1 and our condition as sinners against his righteous government1 there is no knowledge so essential to our happiness1 as a knowledge of his character1 and the way in which his favour is to be conciliated4 ,without this1 we are left in absolute uncertainty respecting our final destiny1 which must be perplexing and alarming1 in proportion as we seriously meditate on the capabilities of the human soul to suffer or enjoy in a future state of existence4 ,hence arises the desirableness of a revelation of the will of ,god2 and the advantage of having such a revelation1 when made1 committed to writing1 that it may be preserved from the corruption and uncertainty to which oral tradition is necessarily exposed4 ,this revelation we have in the sacred ,scriptures2 its purity and adaptation to our moral condition are strong internal evidences of its genuineness2 and ,i am at a loss to conceive how any one can reject it1 without destroying his own peace of mind4 ,it delineates our character1 as guilty1 depraved1 and unhappy1 with the most perfect accuracy2 and points our attention to a ,saviour1 who came to save and to bless us1 and to fit us for a nobler life than we can ever live on earth4 ,mrs4 ,farrington became deeply affected1 burst into tears1 and left the room1 but soon after returned1 offering as an apology for her weakness and her rudeness1 as she termed it1 an excessive nervous irritability under which she was then labouring4 ,after a moment's pause1 ,mr4 ,annesley said3--,pray1 ,madam1 is not your mind now powerfully affected by those religious truths which you once rejected as the fallacious opinions of man8 ,yes1 ,sir1 she replied1 it is1 and has been since ,i heard you preach last night in ,farmer ,rogers' kitchen4 ,i have hitherto rejected the gospel as a cunningly devised fable1 and generally looked with pity or contempt on those who embraced it1 but then ,i was convinced of its divinity1 and by the force of an evidence which ,i had not previously examined4 ,what fresh evidence of the divinity of the gospel1 said ,mr4 ,annesley1 did you receive last night1 for ,i do not recollect advancing any8 ,the evidence of experience1 she replied1 for the gospel came not in word only1 but in power1 and ,i could no longer resist it4 ,curiosity led me to that sequestered house of prayer2 and at first ,i was disposed to treat the whole affair with contempt4 ,the pride of my heart rose up against the statement which you gave us of the entire depravity of our nature1 and ,i should have left in disgust1 had not my friend prevented me2 but when you proposed that simple yet important question1 ',why won't you come to ,jesus ,christ1 and be saved8' ,i felt as though an arrow had pierced my soul1 and from that hour till now1 ,i have been suffering the agonies of a wounded spirit4 ,i could get no sleep last night1 reflecting on my condition2 and early this morning ,i despatched a messenger to your house1 with the note which you received4 ,i feel deeply obliged for the promptness with which you and ,mr4 ---- have responded to my request1 in coming to see me4 ,but1 inquired ,mr4 ,annesley1 as the interrogation you refer to was no direct proof of the ,divine origin of the gospel1 how came it to produce such a conviction in your mind8 ,i have been revolving that question1 and it has created some strong doubts of the correctness of my present belief2 but yet now ,i can no more reject the gospel as false1 than ,i could before receive it as true4 ,that interrogation came with a power which was superhuman1 and its impressions on my heart bore the stamp of the same agency2 and now1 ,sir1 the only question which ,i wish resolved is this3 ,may ,i be permitted to hope that that ,saviour whom ,i have so long rejected1 and so often and so grossly insulted1 will ever condescend to cast one tender look of compassion on me8 ,in the conversion of a sinner1 said ,mr4 ,annesley1 it pleases ,god to display his sovereignty1 no less than his power and his grace2 and hence he generally accomplishes it in a way which compels us to acknowledge his direct and immediate agency4 ,had he chosen to convince you of the ,divine origin of that system of truth1 which you have so long rejected1 by the slow and rational process of a logical argument1 your judgment might have been convinced1 while your heart remained unaffected by its awful and sublime communications2 but by convincing you of your guilt1 and of your danger1 and of the necessity of a ,mediator and a ,saviour1 he has rendered that argumentative process unnecessary1 in compelling you at once to seek the consolations of mercy as essential to your happiness4 ,oh6 yes1 ,sir1 they are essential to my happiness1 indeed they are1 but ,i fear they will be withheld4 ,what plea can ,i urge for mercy8 ,on what basis can ,i rest a hope of acceptance8 ,it is usual1 ,mr4 ,annesley replied1 for a person who is just awakened to a belief of the gospel of ,christ1 to suppose that its consolations are far beyond his reach1 whilst he stands in dread of its awful denunciations2 but this is a delusion which fear practises on the imagination4 ,in the operations of ,divine truth on the heart1 there is a natural process observed on the part of the great invisible ,agent who conducts it2 the convictions of personal guilt1 connected with an apprehension of merited punishment1 prepare the way for the reception of pardon and salvation1 as the free gifts of ,god4 ,am ,i then to consider what ,i suffer and what ,i dread as preparatory visitations of ,divine grace1 to compel me to take refuge in ,christ from the wrath to come8 ,yes1 ,madam4 ,the feelings which you now experience1 and which excite so much alarm1 are intended to prepare you for the manifestations of the ,divine favour and love4 ,you have now to fix your attention on ,jesus ,christ1 who is able and willing to save all who come unto ,god by him4 ,and hear the encouraging and consolatory language he employs--',all that the ,father giveth me shall come to me2 and him that cometh to me ,i will in no wise cast out' 7,john vi4 #cg74 ,but what reason have ,i to believe that such gracious words relate to myself8 ,their insertion in the ,bible is your authority for so applying them to yourself4 ,but lest you should suppose that this gracious declaration was designed1 in any sense1 for the exclusive relief of those to whom it was originally given1 the revelation of mercy and grace concludes with language equally encouraging3--',and the ,spirit and the bride say1 ,come4 ,and let him that heareth say1 ,come4 ,and let him that is athirst come4 ,and whosoever will1 let him take the water of life freely' 7,rev4 xxii4 #ag74 ,why then should you doubt8 ,why should you pause8 ,why should you continue to linger around the promises of salvation1 and not embrace them as the source of your comfort8 ,i do not hesitate to plead the promise of salvation from any doubt of its necessity1 or of its truthfulness4 ,i feel1 however1 such a burden of guilt on my conscience1 for having uttered so many hard things against the ,redeemer and his great salvation1 and feel so oppressed by a sense of unparalleled unworthiness1 that ,i seem more inclined to endure the chastening of the ,lord1 than venture to implore the exercise of his pardoning love and mercy4 ,you are1 it is true1 unworthy1 but not unwelcome2 unworthy1 but not unfit3 for ',all the fitness he requireth1 ,is to feel your need of him4 ,how simple6 ,believe1 and be saved2 come to me1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,yes1 ,sir1 the plan of salvation is both simple and suited2 but these attributes of its character stagger and perplex me4 ,how so1 ,madam8 ,it appears more consonant to the awful majesty of ,divine justice to demand from me some costly sacrifice--to call upon me to endure some severe privations and sufferings1 as the condition of pardon and acceptance1 rather than to offer them freely and gratuitously4 ,i ought1 ,i think1 to suffer some extreme and prolonged infliction1 before ,i ought to cherish a hope of salvation4 ,that is true2 but1 as the apostle says1 ',by grace are ye saved through faith2 and that not of yourselves3 it is the gift of ,god2 not of works1 lest any man should boast' 7,eph4 ii4 #h1 #i74 ,i feel thankful that ,i am not now what ,i was yesterday--a proud and haughty sceptic2 looking with scornful contempt on the ,bible--on the ,sabbath1 and its public services--and on all who make a profession of love to ,jesus ,christ2 but ,i dare not lay claim to the spiritual blessings which ,god graciously bestows on his redeemed and renovated people4 ,i hope in his mercy1 and pray for its manifestations to my guilty conscience1 but ,i cannot do more2 indeed1 at times1 ,i tremble while cherishing a hope in his mercy1 lest ,i should add the sin of presumption1 to the many other sins ,i have committed against him4 ,we now closed the interview by reading the ,scriptures and prayer2 and then returned1 devoutly thankful to the ,god of salvation for what we had seen and heard4 ,in this state of agitating uncertainty1 as to the final issue of her hopes and her fears1 ,mrs4 ,farrington continued1 as ,mr4 ,annesley afterwards informed me1 for several months1 suffering at times intense remorse1 and often strongly tempted to abandon herself to despair4 ,but by a patient continuance in the study of the ,bible and listening to the ministry of the ,word1 in meditation and in prayer1 she felt in process of time the sacred power of the promise of mercy and grace2 tasted that the ,lord is gracious1 and eventually had hope and peace in believing2 living through life in the fear of ,god1 and giving a practical exemplification of the truth of the apostolic declaration1 that the grace of ,god that bringeth salvation1 teaching us that1 denying ungodliness and worldly lusts1 we should live soberly1 righteously1 and godly1 in this present world2 looking for that blessed hope1 and the glorious appearing of the great ,god and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ2 who gave himself for us1 that he might redeem us from all iniquity1 and purify unto himself a peculiar people1 zealous of good works 7,titus ii4 #aa-ad74 ,the conversion of this lady to the ,christian faith1 after having signalized herself for many years by her unceasing hostility to it1 is a very strong evidence in confirmation of its ,divine origin4 ,what human power could have effected such a moral renovation as that which was produced while she was listening to this sermon by ,mr4 ,annesley8 ,she anticipated no such a change1 nor did she desire it4 ,in the sermon1 which curiosity prompted her to hear1 there was no concentration of argument to carry conviction to her judgment--no outbursts of eloquence--nor any decorations of style1 to impress her feelings or attract her taste1 but merely an interrogation1 and that one of the most simple4 ,from whence1 then1 came the all-powerful energy by which her haughty spirit was made to quail before the truth1 which she had so long stigmatized as a cunningly devised fable8 ,whence1 unless from ,him who can easily subdue all things to himself2 and whose spiritual triumphs are often graced by the spontaneous submission of his most malignant enemies2 thus turning a prophetic announcement into an historic fact--,thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power4 ,a ,,party ,,at ,,the ,,elms4 ,i must now request the courteous reader to return with me to ,mr4 ,holmes and his family1 at the ,elms1 where1 as it will be recollected1 we left ,louisa1 the eldest daughter1 in a state of great mental perplexity1 though somewhat soothed by the judicious letter of her worthy friend ,mrs4 ,loader4 ,it will also be remembered that ,louisa had addressed a second letter to the latter1 detailing further her career of ,christian experience1 and asking additional advice and assistance as to her future course4#bb #bb ,vol4 ii4 p4 #agg4 ,according to annual custom1 a large party dined at the ,elms1 consisting principally of ,mr4 ,holmes' old city friends1 who came to enjoy a day in the country1 and have a talk over the events of former times4 ,they had all sprung from an obscure origin--had commenced to push their fortunes in ,london about the same time--and were now in the possession of considerable wealth4 ,the party dined early4 ,when the cloth was removed1 the worthy host said he would give a toast1 which he hoped the ladies would respond to as well as the gentlemen1 though he admitted he ought to apologize for attempting to revive a practice which was now becoming obsolete--,prosperity to the citizens of ,london2 and may they ever express their gratitude to ,god1 by supporting the institutions of benevolence4 ,this toast having been duly honoured1 the ladies withdrew1 leaving the gentlemen to their debates and discussions4 ,miss ,holmes proposed a walk--a proposal which the ladies and young people gladly fell in with4 ,it was a fine tranquil evening1 at the close of one of those beautiful days which frequently occur in this country in the month of ,october4 ,the sun was sinking in a sea of crimson and gold1 behind a finely wooded hill to the west1 and throwing his rich amber light through the foliage of the pleasure ground in which the party was now sauntering4 ,everything tended to soothe and tranquillize the mind1 while not a sound could be heard1 but the rustling of the autumn leaves beneath the feet1 or their fall as the branches vibrated in the almost imperceptible evening breeze4 ,among the young people composing the party that day at the ,elms1 was ,miss ,martin1 an intimate friend of ,miss ,holmes1 and decidedly religious1 but between whom and ,louisa there had hitherto been but little sympathy on this subject4 ,without possessing the years and experience of ,mrs4 ,loader1 she nevertheless possessed an affectionate disposition1 with a fund of sterling good sense1 and was thus well qualified to impart consolation to the agitated and distressed mind of her friend4 ,louisa felt her heart gradually lightened as she conversed with ,miss ,martin2 and the two ladies1 walking on together a little in advance1 got engaged in so interesting a discussion1 that they soon lost sight of the younger members of the party1 who had set off to amuse themselves in another direction4 ,louisa now recollected that she had promised a ,bible the day before to an old woman in the neighbourhood1 and invited ,miss ,martin to accompany her with it there--a proposal to which her friend gladly acceded4 ,they accordingly proceeded down a narrow path which led from the shrubbery to a retired country road4 ,they then walked along a short distance till they came to a neat cottage1 at the door of which they gently tapped4 ,it was opened by the old woman1 ,mrs4 ,kent1 who invited them to walk in and sit down4 ,they readily consented1 and spent there a most interesting hour4 ,i feel deeply obliged1 ladies1 said ,mrs4 ,kent1 by your kindness in fetching me this ,bible4 ,it is indeed a treasure4 ,a large printed ,bible like this is just what ,i have long been wishing to procure1 as my eyes are become so dim ,i cannot see to read this small print 7exhibiting a ,bible which bore the marks of age74 ,i am very glad1 indeed1 that you are pleased with it1 replied ,louisa1 and ,i trust you may long be spared in health to enjoy its stores4 ,i have great reason to be thankful to ,god for the health he has given me4 ,i am in his hand--he doeth all things well4 ,you have really a pretty cottage here1 said ,miss ,martin1 and it is very tastefully adorned4 ,have you lived here many years8 ,about twenty years4 ,i was turned out of the cottage ,i lived in before1 by ,lord ,harwood's steward1 because ,i would not give up my religion2 but the ,lord opened the heart of a good man who lives in the village1 and he built this little cottage for me1 and ,i have lived here rent free ever since4 ,how long may it be since you first knew the ,lord8 ,more than forty years4 ,i was1 when young1 a very thoughtless girl1 and took great delight in vain pleasures2 but the ,lord was pleased1 blessed be his name1 to call me to a knowledge of the truth1 and to love and serve him1 when ,i was about your age4 ,and you are not weary of his service8 ,weary of his service6 said the venerable matron1 her eyes sparkling as with youthful ardour--no1 ,miss1 though ,i often wonder that the ,lord is not weary of me1 as ,i am such an unprofitable servant4 ,then after forty years' experience1 you can bear testimony to the truth of what ,solomon says of religion3 ',her ways are ways of pleasantness1 and all her paths are peace8' ,illustration3 ,,james ,,godwin4 ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,,miss ,,holmes ,,and ,,miss ,,martin ,,taking ,,leave ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,kent4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #bii4 ,that ,i can4 ,i have been a widow five and twenty years4 ,i have outlived all my children but one1 and ,i have not seen him for more than sixteen years4 ,i have had many troubles1 but the ,lord has brought me through them all4 ,he has given me a spirit of resignation and contentment1 and ,i can say1 ,let him do with me as seemeth good in his sight4 ,he is too wise to err4 ,then you don't envy the rich and the noble8 ,no1 ,miss1 ,i envy no one4 ,if the rich have comforts that ,i have not1 they have cares and temptations1 from which ,i am protected4 ,may the ,lord incline you1 my young friends1 to seek him in your youth1 and then you will find a treasure which is of more value than thousands of gold and silver4 ,i hope he has inclined us to seek him1 said ,miss ,holmes2 and as you have known him so many years1 ,i shall be happy to come and visit you1 that you may teach me the way of the ,lord more perfectly4 ,i shall be glad to see you at any time1 if you will condescend to come and see me2 but it is not in my power to teach you4 ,the prophet says1 ',all thy children shall be taught of the ,lord2 and great shall be the peace of thy children4' ,i will soon come back again and have a long chat4 ,good night4 ,good night1 ladies4 ,may the ,lord bless you4 ,she is a dear old woman1 said ,miss ,martin4 ,i have quite fallen in love with her4 ,yes1 my dear ,mary1 she is one of the ,lord's hidden jewels1 set apart for himself4 ,i am very glad to have made her acquaintance1 but ,i confess that ,i neglected to do this till the other day1 though ,i had often seen her knitting on the seat in front of her cottage as ,i passed by4 ,the two friends now re-entered the avenue1 and1 taking a by-path1 ascended a little rising ground1 which commanded a fine view of the surrounding country4 ,how delightful it is1 ,louisa1 said ,miss ,martin1 to get a day's excursion away from the bustle and smoke of ,london4 ,what a beautiful landscape you have here--that venerable church tower rising in the distance among the trees1 and that fine old mansion at the foot of the hill1 with the deer feeding in the park in front2 and see what a pretty object ,mrs4 ,kent's cottage makes1 when seen through this vista in the trees4 ,it is certainly a beautiful prospect1 ,mary4 ,i often come here to contemplate it4 ,i made a sketch the other day of ,mrs4 ,kent's cottage1 which ,i shall show you when we get into the house4 ,it is both a picturesque object when viewed from a distance1 and loses none of its attractions on a near approach4 ,she has displayed great taste in the way she has disposed the evergreens and flowers around it4 ,but its chief glory is within4 ,very true1 my dear ,louisa4 ,it is a sacred spot--often visited by unseen messengers1 when they come to earth on errands of mercy4 ,strangers would pass by1 and admire only the neatness of its external appearance1 but we have seen its concealed beauties4 ,i was quite delighted1 said ,miss ,holmes1 with the first visit ,i paid her4 ,she certainly possesses a very cultivated mind for a person in her station4 ,she has been a great reader in her time1 but now her favourite study is divinity1 and the ,bible is her text-book4 ,she gave me some particulars of her history4 ,her life has been a chequered one4 ,i was quite taken with the artless simplicity of her conversation1 and with the ease1 ,i may almost say elegance1 of her manners4 ,i shall certainly often stroll to her cottage for a chat2 and you must come here again soon1 and pay her another visit along with me4 ,i am glad1 my dear1 that you are partial to her1 replied ,miss ,martin4 ,i shall be delighted to accompany you again to ,mrs4 ,kent's4 ,i hope you will often visit her4 ,you will derive1 ,i have no doubt1 much spiritual benefit from her conversation4 ,there is nothing which so polishes and refines the character as the influence of religion4 ,it improves the taste1 without making it fastidious2 enlarges the intellect1 without engendering vanity2 softens and sweetens the temper2 and inspires a consciousness of individual worth and importance1 while at the same time it pays a respectful regard to the laws and customs which prevail in society4 ,hence a ,christian appears as dignified in a cottage as in a mansion2 and living comparatively disengaged from the temptations of the world1 he is more at liberty to commune with the ,redeemer1 by which he imperceptibly receives a more perfect impression of his image4 ,but do you think1 ,mary1 that every ,christian exemplifies the correctness of your remarks8 ,no1 my dear4 ,some do not feel the influence of religion till late in life1 when their taste has been vitiated1 their habits formed1 and their tempers set2 and though it will correct some of the evils which they may have contracted1 yet it rarely happens that their character receives such an amount of refinement as it would have done1 had they felt its transforming power at an earlier period4 ,just at this moment they were startled by a deep groan1 that came from the wood near which they were standing1 and on running to afford some assistance to the supposed sufferer1 ,miss ,holmes beheld her facetious sister ,emma1 with a group of young friends1 attempting to conceal themselves1 but who burst out into loud laughter when they were discovered4 ,what's the matter1 girls8 ,nothing1 ladies2 ,o nothing6 said ,lucy ,cooper1 with a suppressed smile4 ,we were afraid1 from the groan we heard1 that some one had been hurt1 or was suddenly taken ill4 ,it was only ,emma1 feigning illness1 to disturb you in your grave musings4 ,o6 ,emma1 ,i wonder how you could be so foolish6 ,i am glad1 however1 that there is nothing the matter2 and ,i do not regret having been disturbed1 as it appears to have contributed to your mirth4 ,we have just been seeing ,mrs4 ,kent1 said ,emma1 and she told us that you1 and ,i suppose ,miss ,martin1 had been there4 ,o what a lovely place6 exclaimed several voices4 ,how ,i should like to live in that beautiful cottage6 said a little girl2 ,i wish grandpapa would buy such a one for me4 ,the old lady1 said another1 was looking over the ,bible you gave her when we tapped at the door1 and she rose and received us with as much grace and ease as though she had been a duchess4 ,she appears to be a very contented1 nice old woman1 and seems to be very religious in her way4 ,is she not1 ,emma8 ,yes1 she is4 ,aye1 she is at a good age to become religious1 and she has nothing else to engage her attention4 ,i should like to have another talk with her4 ,we shall be happy to see you1 ,lucy1 at any time1 said ,miss ,holmes2 and ,i think both you and ,emma would be all the better for a few lessons of staidness and sobriety from ,mrs4 ,kent4 ,o yes1 ,i know ,i should2 but as my propensity is to be religious1 ,i must check it1 or ,i shall get quite unhappy4 ,it won't do for me to associate much with such devout people4 ,i shall be sure to catch the infection1 from my natural habit of imitation4 ,miss ,holmes would have made some reply1 but the appearance of her brothers1 and some of the gentlemen from the house1 put a stop to further conversation4 ,come1 ladies1 one of them exclaimed1 where have you been rambling to all this time8 ,we thought we had lost you4 ,you have forgotten how late it is1 and we must be off for town in an hour or two4 ,the youthful party1 thus summoned1 hastened to the house1 where1 after partaking of tea1 the guests prepared to depart1 just as the moon began to rise4 ,the family then being left alone1 drew their seats round the fire for a few minutes before they retired to rest1 and began to talk over the incidents of the day4 ,this has been a very happy day1 said ,mr4 ,holmes2 for though our friends are not all religious people1 yet they are very worthy1 excellent persons4 ,it must be a high gratification to you1 father1 said his eldest son1 to see the companions of your youth sitting around your table1 with your children1 and1 by mutual intercourse1 recalling the early scenes and incidents of your career4 ,indeed it is1 ,william2 and ,i hope ,god has reserved the same enjoyment for you all2 and that1 when ,i am resting in the grave with my fathers1 you will think and talk of these gone-by times4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a few days after this1 ,miss ,holmes received the following letter from her esteemed friend1 ,mrs4 ,loader1 which she had been anxiously expecting for some time3-- #bith ,oct41 #ah--4 ,,my ,,dear ,,louisa1--,i received your letter of ----1 and was glad to find that you were so far restored as to be able to occupy yourself in the service of ,christian benevolence4 ,the duties which now devolve upon you are no less novel than they are important2 and while you may provoke others to scorn by the activity of your zeal1 you may sometimes likewise involve yourself in perplexity and mortification4 ,you already begin to feel the loss of the spiritual enjoyments which you so largely participated in when first you knew the ,lord1 and you suppose that this is a conclusive evidence of the declining influence of religious principle over your mind2 but you ought not to draw such a conclusion4 ,if1 dear ,louisa1 you expect that the realities of the unseen world will always retain that ascendency over your affections which they acquired when you first felt their power1 you proceed in your calculations on mistaken data4 ,when you were first impressed by the truth1 you were a prisoner--confined in the solitary chamber2 you held but little intercourse with the world around you1 and your feelings were rendered more susceptible of strong excitement1 from the influence which a protracted affliction had imperceptibly acquired over them2 but now you are out and abroad--your spirits are braced up by the pressure of calls and engagements1 which demand your attention2 and you are compelled to engage in the duties and pursuits of social life4 ,can such a change in your habits take place without having some powerful effect on the state of your affections8 ,impossible6 ,an active life is less favourable to devotional feeling than a contemplative one2 and though ,i would not throw out a remark which should operate as a discouragement to exertion in the cause of ,him who became obedient unto death for us1 yet ,i assure you1 that in proportion as the number of your employments increase1 you will be deprived of the pleasures of retired devotion1 even though the truths of religion retain their ascendency over your judgment1 and its holy principles reign in your heart4 ,i have thought it right to make these observations1 to guard you against the common error into which young ,christians often fall1 in supposing that their faith is not genuine1 because it does not uniformly act with the same degree of activity and power4 ,that you should1 at times1 admit the possibility of the entire passing away of your religious convictions and impressions1 and should look forward with shuddering dread to the consequences and final issue of such a calamitous event1 does not surprise me1 neither does it give me any alarm4 ,this is usually one of the earliest mental trials a young disciple has to endure4 ,you say that1 notwithstanding the ceaseless terror which agitates your heart1 you are moving forward1 though slowly1 between hope and fear3 and if so1 you are safe in the right way to the city of habitation1 as fear will keep you from presumption1 and hope from despair4 ,yes1 my dear ,louisa1 the harmonious blending of these affections of the soul1 will ever prove1 in their restraining and sustaining influence1 a shield of defence against the subtle temptations of the great adversary1 and a well-spring of consolation in the season of gloom and depression4 ,we read1 ',the ,lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him1 in those that hope in his mercy' 7,psal4 cxlvii4 #aa74 ,but you are unconsciously guilty of a capital error--you think1 and feel1 and write1 as if there were no being in existence who is able to keep you from falling1 and who1 at the same time1 has no personal interest in doing it4 ,has a father no personal interest in the preservation of the life and happiness of his child8 ,hear what your heavenly ,father says1 when speaking to you from the celestial glory--',can a woman forget her sucking child1 that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb8 yea1 they may forget1 yet will ,i not forget thee4 ,behold1 ,i have graven thee upon the palms of my hands' 7,isa4 xlix4 #ae1 #af74 ,can you suppose that ,jesus ,christ1 after dying to redeem you1 will abandon you and leave you to perish1 when you are praying--',lord save me6' ,he loves his own2 and all who come to him to be saved are his own1 and none else will come2 and when they come1 he will in no wise neglect them or cast them out4 ,meditate often on the following words1 which he spoke when on earth to his disciples1 and which he has had recorded in the sacred volume1 for the consolation of his disciples of all future times--',i pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world1 but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil' 7,john xvii4 #ae74 ,you may have great and sore trials in your ,christian course--you may be exposed to severe temptations and great moral dangers1 but you are safe2 ,,he will not overlook you1 or leave you1 who gave his life as a ransom for your redemption4 ,your final salvation depends on no doubtful contingency4 ,it is fixed and certain4 ,and ,,he who gave his life for you1 is now preparing a place for you in heaven--is doing something in your behalf which implies the exercise of power--getting in readiness1 as ,i heard an eloquent preacher remark the other ,sabbath1 a quiet chamber for the accommodation of his beloved disciple in the house of his ,father4 ,and after preparing this mansion1 he will not suffer its intended occupant to perish by the way4 ,no2 ',my sheep hear my voice1 and ,i know them1 and they follow me3 and ,i give unto them eternal life2 and they shall never perish1 neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand4' 7,john x4 #bg1 #bh74 ,i am happy that you are intimate with the ,corries1 who used to be our next-door neighbours when we lived in ,london4 ,they are a very excellent family1 decidedly pious1 and very benevolent4 ,they are ,christians of the old school--still retain their attachment to the singular phraseology which at one time was much in vogue amongst our evangelical preachers--and have imbibed a few opinions which1 ,i think1 need revision4 ,you appear to have had your peace disturbed1 and your cheering prospects darkened1 by your intercourse with them2 but be not alarmed1 as the more your faith is tried1 the stronger it will grow2 and instead of sustaining any injury from the conflicting elements of doubt and suspicion1 which threaten to tear it up by the roots1 it will strike them still deeper and deeper in that holy soil1 in which it is ordained to flourish4 ,your friends are not singular in their views of the nature of faith1 but ,i do not think that they are correct2 and as you have requested me to give you my opinion1 ,i will cheerfully do so4 ,they confound a plenary conviction of the truth of the ,christian scheme of salvation1 with an assurance of a personal interest in its invaluable blessings4 ,this is the error into which they have fallen1 and on the eve of which you are now standing2 but it does not require much force of reasoning to show its fallacy4 ,faith is an assent of the mind to some truth1 or some system of truth1 which is established by satisfactory evidence4 ,as this assent becomes weaker or stronger1 in proportion to the clearness and force of the evidence by which it is produced1 a full assurance of faith is that high degree of it which admits of no suspicion4 ,hence1 you are convinced that ,jesus ,christ came into this world--that he sojourned in the land of ,judea--that he performed the miracles which are ascribed to him--that he died on the cross to expiate the guilt of sin--rose from the dead--and is now seated on the right hand of the majesty on high1 receiving there the ascriptions of praise from the lips of the redeemed4 ,you want no miracle wrought in your presence to induce you to believe this1 because you believe it on the testimony of the inspired writers2 nor is it necessary that a voice should speak to you from the celestial glory to confirm it4 ,but though you are fully convinced of these facts1 yet you are not so fully convinced that he died for you--or that he is gone to heaven to prepare a mansion for you1 in the house of his ,father4 ,you believe that there is 'redemption through his blood1 the forgiveness of sins1 according to the riches of his grace2' but you sometimes doubt whether you are redeemed and forgiven4 ,you believe that 'he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto ,god by him1 seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them2' but you are not fully persuaded that he is interceding for you4 ,you feel your need of such a ,saviour2 and you know that 'all that the ,father giveth him shall come to him2' yet you doubt whether the ,father ever gave you to ,christ1 or whether you have ever come unto him in a scriptural manner4 ,you cannot believe the truth of the gospel more firmly than you do believe it--you cannot place a more entire dependence on ,christ for salvation than you do place--you cannot feel more disposed to give him all the honour of your salvation than you do feel2 and yet1 at times1 you doubt your acceptance--your safety--and your final blessedness4 ,does not this clearly prove that faith in ,christ1 and an assurance of an interest in him1 are essentially distinct8 ,nor can we doubt the correctness of this assertion1 if we attend to the order of the ,spirit's operations on our mind4 ,he inclines us to believe the truth which he exhibits2 and he enables us to do it4 ',for he shall not speak of himself2 but whatsoever he shall hear1 that shall he speak3 and he will shew you things to come4 ,he shall glorify me3 for he shall receive of mine1 and shall shew it unto you2 all things that the ,father hath are mine3 therefore said ,i1 that he shall take of mine1 and shall shew it unto you4' ,this is his first act2 but it is a later act1 to bear testimony with our spirit that we are born of ,god2 and as some space of time must necessarily elapse after he has performed the first act1 before he performs the second1 it is evident that faith may exist in its purity1 and in its power1 even when there is no assurance of it4 ,hence it follows1 that a person who relies on the atonement of ,christ for salvation is as safe1 though he live and die without any firm persuasion of his future blessedness1 as one who is enabled to rejoice in hope of the glory of ,god4 ,indeed1 my dear ,louisa1 ,i should tremble to make the final happiness of my soul depend1 in the slightest degree1 on my personal assurance of its safety4 ,this would be nothing less than intermingling a personal attainment with the efficacy of the ,saviour's death2 and placing my hope of a blissful immortality on the precarious basis of a fluctuating feeling1 rather than on that immoveable foundation which ,god has laid in ,zion4 ,if you peruse the biographies of some of the most eminent ,christians1 you will perceive that during their pilgrimage on earth1 they frequently complained of that alternation of feeling which you now experience2 and some have been left for days1 and for months1 to walk in mental darkness without the light of the ,divine countenance4 ,your favourite poet1 ,cowper1 was a man eminently embued with the spirit of ,christ2 and yet in what a dark and gloomy frame of mind did he leave this world4 ,his biographer says1 that within a few days of his decease1 after a near relative had been attempting to cheer him with the prospect of exchanging a world of infirmity and sorrow1 for a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory1 he threw from him the words of peace1 and exclaimed1 ',oh1 spare me6 spare me6 ,you know1 you know it to be false4' ,having given utterance to this despairing language1 he sunk into a state of apparent insensibility1 in which state he continued for twelve hours1 and then expired without moving a limb1 or even uttering a moan4 ,thus terminated the mortal career of one of the greatest poets that ever consecrated the powers of his mind to the cause of ,christ3 entering death's dark vale without a ray of light to cheer him in his lonely passage4 ,but shall we say that he died without faith1 because he died without an assurance that he possessed it8 ,would not such an opinion necessarily tend to destroy our confidence in the sufficiency of the atonement of ,christ1 by making our final happiness depend on the peculiar frame of our mind in that solemn hour1 when some latent physical cause may bring over the spirit a gloom which no human effort can dispel8 ,if we trust in ,christ1 we shall be saved2 and though we may sometimes doubt the genuine nature of our act of faith1 yet that circumstance will not endanger either our present safety or our future blessedness4 ,indeed1 ,i have known some most exemplary ,christians1 who have trembled to speak with confidence of attaining the recompense of reward4 ,removed at an equal distance from the dread of perishing and an assurance of being saved1 they have been enabled to cherish and display those dispositions and principles which have satisfied their judgment of their safety1 without affording an entire relief to all their anxieties4 ,but though1 my dear ,louisa1 an assurance of your interest in ,christ is not essential to your salvation1 yet it is essential to your happiness4 ,you cannot doubt it1 without feeling a deep pang2 and if you should habitually doubt it1 you will live in a state of perpetual dejection4 ,i urge you1 then1 to attain it in the spring-time of your experience2 or you may accustom yourself to feel more inclined to cherish1 than to expel despondency4 ',wherefore1' says the apostle1 'give all diligence to make your calling and election sure4' ,and that you may attain this assurance of hope1 which will be as an anchor of the soul during the perils and conflicts of time1 look up1 by faith and prayer1 to the invisible ,source of all consolation and joy2 ever remembering that 'the ,spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit1 that we are the children of ,god3 and if children1 then heirs2 heirs of ,god and joint-heirs with ,christ' 7,rom4 viii4 #af1 #ag74 ,this witnessing testimony is as necessary to superinduce this assurance1 as the precious blood of ,christ is necessary to remove the guilt of sin4 ,never forget this4 ,and if you should not immediately attain a full assurance of your interest in ,christ1 do not suffer your mind to be overwhelmed with anxiety2 as this is an attainment which belongs to the more advanced ,christian1 rather than to the young disciple4 ,it will not come at once by an overpowering force1 driving away every gloomy fear1 and throwing open before you a clear prospect of a blissful immortality1 but gradually1 at intermitting seasons1 weakening the strength of your doubts1 and strengthening the weakness of your faith2 till at length the ,god of hope will fill you with all joy and peace in believing4 ,i was much struck with a paragraph in a devotional treatise which ,i recently perused1 and which ,i here quote--',great consolation is often received at different seasons1 even during the period when our general feelings are intermingled with dark and painful forebodings4 ,hence1 the weakest believer sometimes returns from the closet1 and from the sanctuary1 strong in faith1 though he may again relapse into his more stated frame of despondency4 ,the clouds occasionally separate1 to enable him to view the ,sun of ,righteousness1 and feel the healing virtue of his presence1 though they may again unite to obscure his vision1 and leave him to grope on his 'darkling way4' ,these intermitting seasons of darkness and light1 of high enjoyment and deep dejection1 have a salutary effect1 and serve to prepare him for that state of settled assurance1 which1 in fact1 they tend in some measure to produce4' ,as ,i have so far exceeded the ordinary bounds of a letter1 ,i shall not enter on the other very important questions to which you refer in your last2 but will do it at some future period4 ,it gives us great pleasure to hear that you have such an excellent minister near you1 and though he preaches in a chapel which does not belong to our ,establishment1 yet1 if he preach ,christ and him crucified1 ,i have no doubt you will enjoy his labours4 ,the feet of the messenger that publisheth peace1 are no less beautiful on the mountains1 than in the city2 and his proclamation is as interesting to the self-condemned sinner1 when delivered in the unconsecrated chapel1 as in the majestic cathedral2 and though we may retain our partialities to forms and places1 yet1 if we ever suffer our prejudices to deprive us of our spiritual privileges1 we shall be guilty of a suicidal act against both our peace and steadfastness in the faith4 ,the account which you have given me of your sisters has awakened an opposite class of feelings in my breast4 ,emma1 ,i fear1 is under some fatal influence which you have not yet detected1 and will1 unless subdued by the loving-kindness of ,god our ,saviour1 devote herself to the pleasures of the world4 ,her beauty has made her vain1 and the versatility of her talents is a snare to her4 ,you must watch over her with great care1 and pray that ,he who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light1 would be pleased to renew her in the spirit of her mind4 ,jane is a lovely girl4 ,she has an elegant mind1 and if the good work is begun in her heart1 she will be an interesting companion to you4 ,let me hear from you as soon as you can spare a few moments from your numerous engagements1 and believe me1 yours affectionately1 ,e4 ,,loader4 ,,family ,,sketches4 ,in a large family we often find that some of the children discover a peculiar aversion to the religious habits which prevail amongst them4 ,though the primary cause of this hostility may be traced up to the depravity of our nature1 yet we ought not to overlook the secondary causes which may have contributed to its growth and manifestation4 ,for though there is an innate propensity to evil in the heart1 and though that propensity is much stronger in some than in others1 yet it rarely breaks through the barriers which a judicious course of instruction throws up1 unless it is brought into contact with strong temptations1 which might have been guarded against4 ,hence most pious parents1 when mourning over the impiety of their children1 have to reproach themselves for some omissions or compliances which have directly or indirectly tended to produce the evil1 and which very naturally lead to a fatal indifference or open hostility to the claims of religion1 which no subsequent remonstrances are able to correct or control4 ,this was the case in the family of the ,holmes4 ,miss ,emma was a beautiful girl4 ,her manners were exceedingly graceful4 ,she was witty and satirical in her disposition1 and from her childhood gave unequivocal proofs that she required more than ordinary attention in the cultivation of her mind and the formation of her character4 ,from the superior vivacity of her spirits1 the playfulness of her fancy1 and her intellectual acuteness1 she gained a powerful ascendency over the affections of her parents1 who1 trusting too much to the maturity of her judgment for the correction of budding ills1 paid less regard to the formation of her habits than they had done with their other children4 ,the partiality for dress1 which she discovered when a child1 increased as she grew up1 till at length she lavished nearly the whole of her attention on her external appearance4 ,after having spent a few years in the establishment where her elder sisters had finished their education1 she was sent1 at the age of sixteen1 to a fashionable boarding-school1 in which too much attention was paid to mere personal graces and accomplishments4 ,it was here that she formed an intimacy with the daughter of ,colonel ,orme1 who resided near the ,elms1 and which proved a source of poignant sorrow to all the members of her family4 ,after leaving school1 she was permitted by her unsuspecting parents to exchange visits with her young friend1 who was1 by the influence of her sentiments and example1 gradually destroying that reverence for the authority of religion1 and that attachment to its practices1 which they were so anxious to cherish and to strengthen4 ,miss ,holmes saw with deep regret the fatal bias which her sister's mind was receiving2 and though she availed herself of every opportunity which circumstances offered to check and subdue it1 yet she constantly met with determined resistance4 ,indeed1 said ,emma1 after her sister had been urging her to return some novels which her friend had sent for her perusal1 ,i shall not do it till ,i have read them4 ,they are amusing and interesting2 and if they contain any objectionable sentiments1 ,i can easily reject them4 ,yes1 they may amuse and may interest1 but they will not improve your mind4 ,they will give you false views of nature and the world--imperceptibly reconcile you to sentiments and opinions at which you would now shudder--induce such a love for the marvellous and romantic that you will be dissatisfied with the dull uniformity of life1 and destroy all the religious impressions which our dear parents have been so anxious to produce4 ,when ,i feel the injury to which you allude ,i will give them up1 but till then you must permit me to follow my own inclination without control4 ,i am old enough to judge for myself4 ,whether the varieties which are apparent in the human character are to be traced up to the different methods employed in its formation1 or to some inherent peculiarity in the constitution of the mind1 is a much vexed question amongst philosophers4 ,education and example no doubt exercise a most material influence1 but they do not operate in a uniform manner1 as we have known the most opposite characters rise out of the same family4 ,to account for this1 unless on the principle that there is some inherent propensity in our nature1 which gives to each person an individuality of character1 would be extremely difficult1 if not impossible1 as we should naturally expect a uniformity of result where the same means are taken to secure it1 unless there be some latent cause by which this is prevented4 ,hence some of the most improved systems of education make provision for a difference in the style of instruction1 and in the mode of treatment1 to accord with the natural temper and inclination of the pupil2 supposing1 that by such a judicious arrangement1 his moral and intellectual improvement may be more effectually advanced4 ,but how often does even this method fail of accomplishing its intended effect2 as we see the children of a large family discovering a diversity in their taste--their disposition--and their habits--no less striking than they would have done1 if no wisdom or discretion had been employed in their cultivation4 ,meekness and irritability--an affable demeanour1 and a proud hauteur--a placidness and tenderness of disposition1 and a violence and resentment of spirit--a love of display1 and a native modesty which withdraws from public notice--a passion for some individual pursuit1 and a restlessness which no object can fix--are the moral lights and shadows which often fall on the members of the same family1 giving that variety of hue and tinge which we discover in the aspect of the natural world4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes1 in their plan of domestic government1 endeavoured to do three things--to attach their children to their own home2 to encourage them to repose unlimited confidence in their parents2 and to train them to cultivate pure and ardent love for each other4 ,by the adoption of these maxims1 they displayed their good sense and parental regard2 as it is uniformly found1 that when a child outgrows his love for his father's house1 he has lost the sheet-anchor of his safety2 that if he have not free and unrestricted access to his parents1 he will become suspicious of1 and estranged from them2 and that if he feel no peculiar pleasure in the society and interest in the welfare of the other branches of the family1 he will cherish a jealous and envious disposition1 not more destructive of their happiness than of his own4 ,when speaking of the excellencies which so finely budded on the opening character of some of their children1 they often expressed their regret at the unpromising appearances of others2 yet indulged the hope that they would outgrow their flaws unseemly1 and ultimately display1 not only the strength of reason1 but the beauty of virtue4 ,as they advanced from childhood to youth1 and from youth to riper years1 they gradually developed the peculiarities of their tempers and dispositions1 which were so dissimilar1 that no uniform mode of discipline could be adopted with any chance of proving beneficial4 ,mr4 ,holmes was too much occupied in his commercial affairs1 to pay any great attention to his children while they were young1 and1 therefore1 the chief responsibility of their education devolved on their mother1 who1 feeling anxious to discharge the trust reposed in her1 availed herself of all the information which she could acquire4 ,the following paragraph1 which she met with in a favourite author1 gave her an insight into the art of a judicious management4 ,it inspired her with a good hope respecting those who appeared the most unpromising1 because the most untractable3--,a discriminating teacher will appreciate the individual character of each pupil1 in order to appropriate her management4 ,we must strengthen the feeble1 while we repel the bold4 ,we cannot educate by a receipt3 for after studying the best rules1 and after digesting them into the best system1 much must depend on contingent circumstances2 for that which is good may be inapplicable4 ,the cultivator of the human mind must1 like the gardener1 study diversities of soil1 or he may plant diligently1 and water faithfully1 with little fruit4 ,the skilful labourer knows that1 even when the surface is not particularly promising1 there is often a rough1 strong ground1 which will amply repay the trouble of breaking it up2 yet we are often most taken with a soft surface1 though it conceal a shallow depth1 because it promises present reward and little trouble4 ,but strong and pertinacious tempers1 of which1 perhaps1 obstinacy is the leading vice1 under skilful management1 often turn out steady and sterling characters2 while1 from softer clay1 a firm and vigorous virtue is but seldom produced4 ,pertinacity is often principle1 which wants nothing but to be led to its true object2 while the uniformly yielding1 and universally accommodating spirit1 is not seldom the result of a feeble tone of morals1 of a temper eager for praise1 and acting for reward4 ,it is often remarked1 that children are men and women in miniature2 and as they grow up to their full stature1 we often see them exhibiting1 in broader and more palpable development1 the excellencies and defects of their juvenile character2 but when they are subjected to the operation of extraordinary causes1 they sometimes undergo an entire transformation1 and become new creatures4 ,the most hopeless turn out the most valuable--those who have inflicted the most pungent sorrow ultimately become the source of the purest delight--the prematurely promising have faded in the spring-time vigour of their virtue--and those who have been endowed with the greatest talents have brought down the gray hairs of their parents with sorrow to the grave4 ,the eldest sons of this family1 ,william and ,edward1 who succeeded to the business when the father retired1 had turned out everything their parents could wish1 but presented no prominent traits of character1 beyond that of well-conducted1 pious young men4 ,the youngest son1 ,john1 who was devoted to the medical profession1 possessed more adroitness and vivacity than his brothers2 but either from the laxity of parental control1 or the peculiar connections which his pursuits in life led him to form1 he disappointed the high expectations which he had raised1 and eventually became the source of domestic grief4 ,he was greatly attached to his sister ,emma1 whom he most nearly resembled1 not only in person1 but in disposition2 and having imbibed sceptical notions on religious subjects1 soon after he commenced his professional studies1 he infused them into her mind1 and thus did her great injury4 ,there was an unobtrusive modesty about ,jane1 which naturally induced her to retire from public notice1 and rendered her fully appreciated only by her more intimate friends2 while ,emma's good qualities were unfortunately1 to a great extent1 obscured by her inordinate vanity and desire of admiration4 ,the love of dress1 as already mentioned1 early took possession of her mind1 and her parents injudiciously nourished this passion1 by allowing her to do as she pleased in this respect1 not conceiving that by such a compliance she would sustain any moral injury4 ,but they lived to see and deplore their error4 ,it is a just remark1 says an excellent writer1 that objects in their own nature innocent1 and entitled to notice1 may become the sources of disadvantage and of guilt2 when1 being raised from the rank of trifles to ideal importance1 they occupy a share of attention which they do not deserve2 and then they are pursued with an immoderate ardour1 which at once indisposes the mind to occupations of higher concern1 and clouds it with malignant emotions4 ,perhaps there is no subject which will more strikingly illustrate the correctness of this remark1 than that passion for fashionable attire by which some are enslaved4 ,if1 in addition to that reasonable degree of regard to propriety of dress1 which insures the strictest neatness1 and a modest conformity1 in unobjectionable points1 to the authority of custom1 a young woman permits her thoughts to be frequently engaged by the subject of exterior ornaments1 occupations of moment will be proportionably neglected4 ,from the complacency natural to all human beings1 when employed in contemplating objects by means of which the flattering hope of shining is presented to them1 she will be in the most imminent danger of contracting a distaste to serious reflection1 and of being at length absorbed in the delusions of vanity and self-love4 ,it is1 undoubtedly1 a matter of indifference1 whether a lady's ribands be green or blue2 whether her head be decorated with flowers or with feathers2 whether her gown be composed of muslin or of silk4 ,but it is no matter of indifference1 whether the time which she devotes to the determination of any of these points is to be reckoned by hours or by minutes2 or whether1 on discovering the elevation of her bonnet to be an inch higher or lower1 and its tint a shade lighter or darker1 than the model which prevails among her acquaintance1 she is overwhelmed with consternation and disappointment1 or bears the calamity with the apathy of a stoic4 ,the love of dress1 like every other improper affection1 has a material influence over the formation of the character2 and though it operates by a silent process1 yet it is invariably found to have a pernicious tendency4 ,it induces habits of expenditure1 which are often beyond the resources of the individual2 saps the foundation of morals1 and involves in inextricable difficulties4 ,bills are left unpaid1 and every excuse and apology which ingenuity and artifice can devise1 is employed to silence the remonstrances of the creditor--whom the debtor avoids with an instinctive dread1 no less sensitive than the child does the place supposed to be haunted by an evil spirit4 ,but1 if the resources are sufficient to satisfy the demands of justice1 has benevolence no claim on the female sex8 ,the fact is1 that an unguarded fondness for ornament has been known1 in a multitude of examples1 to overpower the natural tenderness of the female mind1 and to prevent the growth and establishment of dispositions pronounced in the gospel to be indispensably requisite to the ,christian character4 ,if the purse be generally kept low by the demands of milliners1 of mantua-makers1 dealers in trinkets1 and of others who bear their part in adorning the person1 little can be allotted to the applications of charity4 ,but charity requires1 in common with other virtues1 the fostering influence of habit4 ,if the custom of devoting an adequate portion of the income to the relief of distress be long intermitted1 the desire of giving relief will gradually be impaired4 ,the heart forgets1 by disuse1 the emotions in which it once delighted4 ,the ear turns from solicitations now become unwelcome4 ,in proportion as the wants and the griefs of others are disregarded1 the spirit of selfishness strikes deeper and stronger roots in the breast4 ,let the generous exertions of kindness be tempered with discretion3 but let a disposition to those exertions be encouraged on principles of duty2 and confirmed1 in proportion to the ability of the individual1 by frequency of practice4 ,before the world has repressed1 by its interested lessons1 the warmth of youthful benevolence1 let experience establish a conviction that the greatest of all pleasures is to do good4 ,she who has accustomed herself to this delight1 will not easily be induced to forego it4 ,she will feel1 that whatever she is able1 without penuriousness or improper singularity1 to withdraw from the expense of personal ornament1 is not only reserved for much higher purposes1 but for purposes productive of exquisite and permanent gratification4 ,another1 and a very important benefit which results from fixed habits of moderation as to dress1 and all points of a similar nature1 will be clearly discerned by adverting to the irreparable evils into which young women are sometimes plunged by the contrary practice4 ,the lavish indulgence in which they have learned to seek for happiness1 becoming1 in their estimation1 essential to their comfort1 is able to bias their conduct in every important step4 ,hence1 in forming matrimonial connections1 it exercises perhaps a secret1 but a very powerful influence4 ,the prospect of wealth and magnificence1 of the continuance and of the increase of pleasures supposed to flow from the pomp of dress and equipage1 from sumptuous mansions1 showy furniture1 and numerous attendants1 dazzles the judgment1 imposes on the affections1 conceals many defects in moral character1 and compensates for others4 ,it frequently proves the decisive circumstance which leads the deluded victim to the altar1 there to consign herself to splendid misery for life4 ,there are yet other consequences which attend an immoderate passion for the embellishments of dress4 ,when the mind is fixed upon objects which derive their chief value from administering to vanity and the love of admiration1 the aversion1 which almost every individual of either sex is prone to feel towards a rival1 is particularly called forth4 ,and when objects attainable so easily as exterior ornaments occupy the heart1 there will be rivals without number4 ,hence1 it is not uncommon to see neighbouring young women engaged in a constant state of petty warfare with each other4 ,to vie in ostentatiousness1 in costliness1 or in elegance of apparel--to be distinguished by novel inventions in personal decoration--to gain the earliest intelligence respecting changes of fashion in the metropolis--to detect1 in the attire of a luckless competitor1 traces of a mode which for six weeks has been obsolete in high life--these frequently are the points of excellence to which the force of female genius is directed4 ,in the meantime1 while the mask of friendship is worn1 and the language of regard is on the tongue1 indifference1 disgust1 and envy are gradually taking possession of the breast2 until1 at length1 the unworthy contest1 prolonged for years under habits of dissimilation1 by which neither of the parties are deceived1 terminates in the violence of an open rupture4 ,the ,scriptures have spoken so plainly and so strongly respecting solicitude about dress1 that ,i cannot quit the subject without a special reference to their authority4 ,our ,saviour1 in one of his most solemn discourses1 warns his followers against anxiety as to 'wherewithal they should be clothed1' in a manner particularly emphatic1 classing that anxiety with the despicable pursuits of those who are studious 'what they shall eat1 and what they shall drink2' and by pronouncing all such cares to be among the characteristics by which the heathens were distinguished4 ,it ought to be observed1 that these admonitions of ,christ respect men no less than women4 ,the apostle ,paul speaks pointedly concerning female dress1 saying--',i will1 in like manner also1 that women adorn themselves in modest apparel1 with shame-facedness and sobriety3 not with broidered hair1 or gold1 or pearls1 or costly array2 but1 which becometh women professing godliness1 with good works4' ,in another passage1 ,st4 ,peter also speaks expressly of the female sex3 and primarily of married women1 but in terms applicable with equal propriety to the single--',whose adorning1 let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold1 and of putting on of apparel4 ,but let it be the hidden man of the heart' 7the inward frame and disposition of the mind71 'in that which is not corruptible2 even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit1 which is in the sight of ,god of great price4' ,it would be too much to assert1 on the one hand1 that it was the intention of either of the apostles1 in giving these directions1 to proscribe the use of the particular kinds of personal ornament which he specifies2 but1 on the other hand1 it was unquestionably the design of both1 to proscribe whatever may justly be styled solicitude respecting any kind of personal decoration2 and to censure those who1 instead of resting their claim to approbation solely on the tempers of the soul1 in any degree1 should ambitiously seek to be noticed and praised for exterior embellishments1 as deviating precisely in that degree from the simplicity and the purity of the ,christian character4 ,the young ladies of the ,holmes family1 were allowed a stated income to meet their current expenditure1 besides receiving occasional presents4 ,one custom prevailed in this family1 which the writer hopes will never become extinct amongst us1 as it belongs so appropriately to the ,english character4 ,the birthdays1 especially those of the parents1 were duly celebrated1 and an interchange of presents made between the members of the family4 ,on the occasion of the recurrence of ,mr4 ,holmes' birthday1 which took place a few weeks after the party referred to in the foregoing chapter1 the usual compliment of presents was made in the morning2 and in the afternoon1 after the old gentleman's health1 and many happy returns of the day1 had been drunk with due honours1 he presented to each of his daughters an envelope1 containing a bank note for #bj4 ,in the evening1 as the young ladies were taking their walk1 their conversation turned on the unexpected liberality of their father1 when ,emma asked her sisters what they intended to purchase4 ,i intend1 said ,jane1 to purchase my freedom4 ,your freedom1 my dear6 said the facetious ,emma2 ,i did not know that you were in bondage to any man2 but if you are1 surely you do not think of offering to pay him for your liberty8 ,i am not1 replied ,jane1 in bondage to any man4 ,no6 ,to whom then8 ,to woman kind6 ,woman6 ,what6 ,woman enslave her own sex6 ,even so4 ,what woman are you in bondage to8 ,the mantua-maker6 ,here are the fetters of my captivity 7exhibiting the undischarged bills71 which ,i will now go and break asunder1 and hope never more to wear them4 ,you are to be commended1 my dear1 said ,miss ,holmes1 and ,i hope ,emma will follow your example2 for1 with our liberal allowance1 and the presents we receive1 we ought to have something to spare to the claims of religion and benevolence1 rather than have the disgrace of unpaid bills lying in our drawers4 ,indeed1 ,emma replied1 ,i think ,papa gives away quite enough to purchase our redemption from the taxes of charity4 ,when ,i am settled in life1 it is my intention to appropriate a regular sum to charitable purposes1 but now ,i cannot afford it4 ,we must be just before we are generous4 ,on that maxim ,i shall act1 said ,jane2 ,i will discharge my debts as an act of justice1 and then ,i shall have it in my power to be generous to the poor and needy4 ,i have no doubt1 ,emma1 remarked ,miss ,holmes1 that you are sincere in your proposed intentions respecting your future charities2 but ,i suspect1 if you go upon the principle of waiting till you are rich1 you will never have anything to give4 ,you must know1 dear ,emma1 if you reflect on the subject1 that you are now forming your habits for life--giving to your principles and propensities a fixed and changeless tendency2 and is it not of great importance that you should begin now to cultivate the virtues of charity and self-denial8 ,it may be so1 but there is no rule without an exception2 and as your habits and mine1 dear sister1 are so dissimilar1 you cannot expect that ,i can follow your example in all things4 ,then1 my dear1 follow the example of ,jane1 and you will feel more at ease2 and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that those you are indebted to are not distressed by the want of the money you owe them4 ,indeed1 ,i am at ease4 ,they charge enough1 for the few articles ,i purchase1 to allow me to take a long credit4 ,that is very true4 ,they charge in proportion to the length of credit they give2 and hence1 you pay such an exorbitant price for your dress4 ,you impoverish yourself by the very method you employ in expending your money2 and never have the satisfaction of being free from the pressing claims of dress-makers and milliners4 ,thus you deny yourself the noble gratification of relieving the necessities of others2 for when an appeal is made to your benevolence1 you are obliged to resist it1 because you have previously exhausted your resources4 ,you reason admirably1 dear sister1 and ,i shall not forget your observations2 but ,i must get a new dress1 as ,i have worn my old one so long4 ,i will spare something out of the next present ,papa gives me4 ,i hope this will satisfy you1 as you know ,i always keep my word4 ,it is1 generally1 in the more private occurrences of domestic life1 that the peculiarities of the human mind are developed2 and events1 trivial in themselves1 often acquire a degree of importance from the indications of character which they exhibit4 ,the bestowment of a birthday present1 was an expression of paternal regard1 but what different dispositions and tendencies did it call forth1 and what a different moral effect did it produce6--,miss ,holmes devoted a portion of her present to the claims of charity and religion1 and with part of the remainder1 she purchased a silver snuff-box1 which she presented to her father1 with a few appropriate verses4 ,jane1 who had been enticed into extravagance by following the example of her sister ,emma1 went and discharged her debts2 while ,emma1 after ordering her dress1 and paying a sum towards her previous account1 took a fancy to a beautiful shawl1 and ordered it to be sent to the ,elms1 and in this way got deeper in debt than she had been before4 ,,amusements4 ,miss ,orme1 the friend of ,emma ,holmes1 accepted an invitation to spend a few weeks at the ,elms1 and being aware of the religious habits of the family1 she resolved to conform to them with the most scrupulous exactness4 ,when she played1 she generally selected sacred music1 as a compliment to the taste of her pious friends2 and even condescended to accompany them to chapel1 though she avowed her decided preference for the forms and ceremonies of the ,church4 ,she was naturally of a very pliable disposition1 and had she been under a different course of moral training1 she might have devoted her attention to the claims of religion2 but being surrounded by the fascinations of gay life1 and taught to regard the pursuit of pleasure as the chief end of her existence1 she became one of the most zealous devotees that ever bowed down at the shrine of fashion4 ,she possessed an intelligent mind2 but the books she read1 and the subjects on which she generally conversed1 had a tendency to impair its strength1 and to keep it from ranging in the field of useful knowledge4 ,she was rather shrewd1 and would sometimes make a reply1 or give a turn to an observation with considerable effect2 but her resources were soon exhausted1 and she would fall back into a state of ennui1 unless the conversation related to the fashions or the amusements of the day1 and then she would speak with great fluency and animation4 ,in her disposition1 she was so good-natured and amiable1 that she would bear reproof with the utmost degree of mildness1 but never thought of amending her ways2 would acknowledge herself in the wrong1 when it was pointed out to her1 yet persisted in its practice2 and often confessed that she had no doubt but a religious life was most acceptable to our ,maker1 yet as often expressed her astonishment that any young person could think of becoming religious4 ,as ,mr4 ,holmes could not conscientiously suffer his daughters to attend any of the public amusements to which society devotes such a considerable portion of its time1 he endeavoured to compensate for the loss of such sources of gratification1 by making them happy in their home2 and by treating them with occasional excursions1 where they might enjoy a change of air and of scenery1 without running the risk of sustaining any moral injury4 ,to gratify her friend1 ,emma had persuaded her father to take them to ,windsor1 where they were to spend one night1 and return the following day2 but there had been so much rain in the early part of the morning1 and it continued to descend in such torrents1 that they were obliged to postpone their visit4 ,this disappointment was borne with great cheerfulness by all but ,miss ,orme1 who felt it to be a most irksome burden1 and said more than once during the day1 ,what a misfortune that ,providence should allow it to rain to-day1 when1 ,i suppose1 he knew we were going to ,windsor6 ,why1 perhaps1 said ,mr4 ,holmes1 he has sent the rain to prevent some calamitous accident4 ,dear ,sir1 do you think he ever pays any attention to us1 and such little things as a pleasure excursion8 ,yes1 most certainly4 ,our ,saviour says--',are not two sparrows sold for a farthing8 and not one of them shall fall to the ground without your ,father4 ,but the very hairs of your head are all numbered4' ,then of course it is so1 but it never struck me before4 ,i always thought that ,god looked after other worlds and their inhabitants1 and that he left us to our fate4 ,you forget the first petition in the ,lord's ,prayer--',our ,father1 who art in heaven4' ,a kind father--and ,god is love--pays great attention to his children4 ,exactly so1 ,sir1 but it never struck me before4 ,as she was sauntering up and down the house1 leaning on the arm of ,emma1 bitterly deploring the continued descent of the rain1 which precluded the hope of their getting out of doors1 she broke in upon ,miss ,holmes1 busily engaged in finishing a dress for a poor woman1 who was daily expecting the birth of her firstborn4 ,i beg your pardon1 ,miss ,holmes1 for this act of intrusion4 ,we are sauntering away dull time4 ,walk in1 and ,i will give you some employment4 ,indeed1 ,i am not fit for work4 ,this is one of the dullest days of my life4 ,i wish the rain was over and gone4 ,is it not a great misfortune that it should come to-day8 ,perhaps1 my dear ,miss ,orme1 it is sent by our heavenly ,father to prevent some greater misfortune4 ,that's what your ,papa has just been telling us4 ,what a striking coincidence between his sentiments and yours6 ,they are new ideas to me4 ,very devout and proper4 ,sister is ,papa's living echo1 remarked ,emma4 ,as you two idlers1 said ,miss ,holmes1 have nothing to do but saunter away time1 perhaps 7addressing ,miss ,orme7 you would have no objection to read1 it may prove a little relief to your dulness4 ,there were several books lying on the table1 which she carelessly examined and closed1 when ,emma said1 ,here is one which you have not seen4 ,she took it1 read the title--,an ,inquiry into the ,duties of the ,female ,sex4 ,a learned dissertation1 ,i have no doubt1 on woman4 ,i wonder what he says4 ,he has1 ,i see1 a chapter on the employment of time2 shall ,i read that1 ,miss ,holmes8 ,if you please4 ,time is a sacred trust consigned to us by the ,creator of the universe4 ,to use it well is a lesson which duty and reason concur to suggest4 ,the duration of the period to be confided to our management1 though predetermined in the counsels of ,omniscience1 is undisclosed to the individual concerned1 and is placed beyond the reach of calculation2 that uncertainty respecting the future may operate as a continual and powerful admonition wisely to employ the present hour4 ,would you perceive the ingratitude and folly of squandering so precious a deposit8 ,reflect on the gracious purposes for the accomplishment of which it is committed to you4 ,reflect how plainly incompatible a habit of squandering it is1 with the frame of mind which is the fruit of ,christianity4 ,reflect on the infinite importance which you will hereafter attach to time past1 when the consequences flowing from the right or wrong use of it1 will be discerned and felt by you in their full extent4 ,this is too grave a subject for me1 said ,miss ,orme4 ,it will just add to the load of melancholy on my mind1 which is already oppressed beyond endurance by the horrid gloom of the weather4 ,i am fond of reading1 but ,i prefer the lighter productions of the press4 ,she closed the book and was taking up another1 when ,miss ,holmes said1 ,you will oblige me by reading another paragraph in that chapter1 which may prove advantageous to you1 even though it may not exactly accord with your present taste4 ,certainly1 if you wish it4 ,to every woman1 whether single or married1 the habit of regularly allotting to improving books a portion of each day1 and1 as far as may be practicable1 at stated hours1 cannot be too strongly recommended4 ,i use the term improving in a large sense2 as comprehending all writings which may contribute to her virtue1 her usefulness1 and her innocent gratification--to her happiness in this world and in the next4 ,she who believes that she is to survive in another state of being through eternity1 and is duly impressed by the awful conviction1 will fix1 day by day1 her most serious thoughts on the inheritance to which she aspires4 ,where the treasure is1 there will her heart be also4 ,she will not be seduced from an habitual study of the ,holy ,scriptures1 and of other works calculated to imprint on her mind the comparatively small importance of the pains and pleasures of this period of existence2 and to fill her with that knowledge1 and inspire her with those views and dispositions1 which may lead her to delight in the present service of her ,maker1 and enable her to rejoice in the contemplation of futurity4 ,at other seasons1 let history1 let biography1 let poetry1 or some of the various branches of elegant and profitable knowledge1 pay their tribute of instruction and amusement4 ,but let whatever she peruses in her most private hours be such as she needs not to be ashamed of reading aloud to those whose good opinion she is most anxious to deserve4 ,let her remember that there is an all-seeing eye1 which is ever fixed upon her1 even in her closest retirement4 ,let her not indulge herself in the frequent perusal of writings1 however interesting in their nature1 however eminent in a literary point of view1 which are likely to inflame pride1 and to inspire false notions of generosity1 of feeling1 of spirit1 or of any other quality4 ,such1 unhappily1 are the effects to be apprehended from the works even of several of our distinguished writers1 in prose and in verse4 ,and let her accustom herself regularly to bring the sentiments which she reads1 and the conduct which is described in terms1 more or less strong1 of applause and recommendation1 to the test of ,christian principles4 ,in proportion as this practice is pursued or neglected1 reading will be profitable or pernicious4 ,now1 really1 my dear ,miss ,holmes1 said ,miss ,orme1 stopping short1 ,i cannot go on with such reading4 ,have you nothing in the shape of a novel8 ,i can take an interest in that4 ,you object to such compositions1 ,i believe8 ,yes4 ,but why1 when they display so much ingenuity1 are so delightful1 and have such a good moral tendency8 ,i cannot reply to your present remark in more forcible language than the writer has done1 whose book you hold in your hand1 and if you will permit me ,i will read an extract4 ,very well1 replied ,miss ,orme1 with a yawn4 ,works of this nature not unfrequently deserve the praise of ingenuity of plan and contrivance1 of accurate and well-supported discrimination of character1 and of force and elegance of language4 ,some of them have professedly been composed with a design to favour the interests of morality4 ,and among those which are deemed to have1 on the whole1 a moral tendency1 a very few1 perhaps1 might be selected1 which are not liable to the disgraceful charge of being occasionally contaminated by incidents and passions unfit to be represented to the reader4 ,this charge1 however1 may so very generally be alleged with justice1 that even of the novels which possess high and established reputation1 by far the greater number is totally improper1 in consequence of such admixture1 to be perused by the eye of delicacy4 ,poor indeed are the services rendered to virtue by a writer1 however he may boast that the object of his performance is to exhibit the vicious as infamous and unhappy1 who1 in tracing the progress of vice to infamy and unhappiness1 introduces the readers to scenes and language adapted to wear away the quick feelings of modesty1 which form at once the ornament and safeguard of innocence2 and1 like the bloom upon a plum1 if once effaced1 commonly disappear for ever4 ,to indulge in a practice of reading novels is1 in several other particulars1 liable to produce mischievous effects4 ,such compositions are1 to most people1 extremely engaging4 ,that story must be singularly barren1 or wretchedly told1 of which1 having heard the beginning1 we desire not to know the end4 ,to the pleasure of learning the ultimate fortunes of the heroes and heroines of the tale1 the novel commonly adds1 in a greater or less degree1 that which arises from animated description1 from lively dialogue1 or from interesting sentiment4 ,hence1 the perusal of one publication of this class leads1 with much more frequency than is the case with respect to works of other kinds 7except1 perhaps1 of dramatic writings1 to which most of the present remarks may be transferred71 to the speedy perusal of another4 ,thus a habit is formed--a habit at first1 perhaps1 of limited indulgence--but a habit that is continually found more formidable and more encroaching4 ,the appetite becomes too keen to be denied2 and in proportion as it is more urgent1 grows less nice and select in its fare4 ,what would formerly have given offence now gives none4 ,the palate is vitiated or made dull4 ,the produce of the book-club1 and the contents of the circulating library1 are devoured with indiscriminate and insatiable avidity4 ,hence1 the mind is secretly corrupted4 ,let it be observed too1 that in exact correspondence with the increase of a passion for reading novels1 an aversion to reading of a more improving nature will gather strength4 ,even in the class of novels least objectionable in point of delicacy1 false sentiment unfitting the mind for sober life1 applause and censure distributed amiss1 morality estimated by an erroneous standard1 and the capricious laws and empty sanctions of honour set up in the place of religion1 are the lessons usually presented4 ,there is yet another consequence too important to be overlooked4 ,the catastrophe and the incidents of these fictitious narratives commonly turn on the vicissitudes and effects of a passion1 the most powerful which agitates the human heart4 ,hence1 the study of them frequently creates a susceptibility of impression1 and a premature warmth of tender emotions1 which1 not to speak of other possible effects1 have been known to betray young women into a sudden attachment to persons unworthy of their affection1 and thus to hurry them into marriages terminating in unhappiness4 ,he reasons excellently well against such books2 but to be candid1 dear ,miss ,holmes1 and ,i know you idolize candour1 ,i must confess ,i am rather partial to them4 ,they serve to beguile away the tedious hours of unoccupied time1 and remove us to an enchanted land where we forget the mortifications of life4 ,then they often enable us to get through a day with tolerable composure1 when we are prevented taking our walks or drives abroad4 ,and what a relief do they afford us when indisposed6 ,indeed1 ,i don't know what ,i should do1 if ,i were interdicted from such a source of exquisite gratification4 ,i have no doubt but such reading affords you gratification1 and enables you to get through the tedious hours of time with some degree of patience2 but is it profitable8 ,does it enlarge and strengthen the intellectual faculty1 or extend the boundary of our practical knowledge8 ,does it refine the moral taste1 or call into action the best feelings of our nature8 ,does it tend to prepare us for our final destiny1 as candidates for immortality8 ,well1 ,i don't know4 ,then1 as you object to the novel1 ,i presume you are equally averse to the card-table8 ,i am4 ,but why1 when it affords so much gratification8 ,because it often gives rise to a passion for gaming1 which has brought many to ruin4 ,well1 ,i will admit1 that it does sometimes lead to such a fatal issue2 but ,i will suppose a case which frequently occurs in social life4 ,a virtuous family receives a visit from a few select friends2 and in the evening the card-tables are brought out1 and they divide themselves into small parties1 and play a few games for their own amusement1 without risking more than a few shillings4 ,now1 what evil can result from such a method of passing away the evening8 ,in the first place1 there is a great sacrifice of time1 without any adequate compensation4 ,if the time thus devoted to an unprofitable amusement were employed in instructive conversation1 some moral benefit would result from it4 ,then important and interesting questions might be discussed and answered--the events of the day would pass under review--enlivening anecdotes might be told--and every one would have an opportunity of displaying and increasing the resources of his mind4 ,but1 begging pardon for interrupting you1 does not the introduction of cards1 by occupying the attention of a party1 prevent the conversation from degenerating into gossip and scandal8 ,this advantage you have overlooked1 but ,i have no doubt1 on reflection1 you will admit it to be a very important one4 ,why not1 dear ,miss ,orme1 allow a sense of honour and strict integrity to impose restraint on the tongue of scandal1 without requiring the charm of the card-table to do it8 ,this principle1 when inwrought in the mind1 will be always present1 and vigilant in the exercise of its restraining power2 but you cannot always have the card-table with you4 ,but now to advert to the hypothetical case of the virtuous family receiving a visit from a few select friends4 ,i admit1 that they may sustain no positive injury1 either moral or social1 by spending the evening together in such a way2 but if we advert to some facts which have come within our own knowledge1 we must admit1 that some of the party may sustain great1 if not irreparable injury4 ,i know a lady who never touched a pack of cards till after her marriage1 but as soon as she did touch them1 she became passionately fond of them4 ,she first played with her husband--then a few select friends were invited to the game--then larger parties thronged her drawing-room--till at length1 the passion became so inveterate in its influence over her1 that she neglected all her domestic duties1 involved her husband in pecuniary embarrassments by the sums she lost2 and eventually abandoned her home and children1 with a worthless wretch1 who1 after degrading her1 threw her off on the merciless contempt of the world6 ,in a conversation which ,i lately had with her1 when endeavouring to point her to ,him who came to save sinners 7for she is now in the last stage of a decline71 she owned that her ruin was owing to her passion for cards1 which became so strong that she was unable to control it4 ,this is a most painful case1 observed ,miss ,orme3 happily an extreme one6 ,i admit this2 but there is no disputing this fact1 that card-playing very frequently kindles in the female breast1 no less than in the breast of the other sex1 a passion for gaming4 ,yes1 many a husband would have been saved from ruin1 if his wife had employed that influence to subdue his passion for the card-table1 which she has employed to keep it alive and vigorous4 ,she has lived to deplore the evil1 when it has become irreparable4 ,both the novel and the card-table1 remarked ,emma1 are the forbidden fruit of our ,eden4 ,i have no doubt1 my dear1 replied ,miss ,orme1 that your parents act conscientiously in prohibiting novels and cards2 but you know that religious people1 in general1 do so3 though ,i have known some rather conspicuous professors who have not objected to play a game at whist after family prayer in the evening4 ,yes1 and so have ,i4 ,i was on a visit at ,mr4 ,ridout's1 some few months since1 when the card-table was brought out for our amusement2 and ,i don't know when ,i have spent a more pleasant evening4 ,and who is ,mr4 ,ridout1 my dear8 ,is he a pious man1 or does he belong to the world8 ,he professes to be a pious man2 and ,i should suppose he is one1 for he has prayer in his family morning and evening4 ,had he family prayer1 the evening you refer to1 before or after the games were introduced8 ,o6 it was omitted that evening4 ,and why1 ,emma1 here interposed ,miss ,holmes1 was it omitted8 ,was it not because he was ashamed to place the ,bible on the same table with the cards2 and because1 after enticing others to a conformity to the customs of the world1 he could not1 in their presence1 go and pray1 that they might be renewed in the spirit of their mind8 ,do you recollect the remark which you made on your return home8 ,it has escaped my recollection4 ,that he wanted only one thing to finish his character4 ,and did ,i say what that one thing was8 ,yes2 you said1 and said very justly1 it was consistency4 ,o6 ,i recollect1 that was the opinion ,i then entertained4 ,and have you changed your opinion8 ,do you not think that religious people ought to abstain from the appearance of evil8 ,does your moral sense1 dear ,emma1 receive no offence1 when you see a person1 who makes a profession of personal piety1 acting like a worldling8 ,yes1 it does4 ,i remember that droll creature1 ,bessie ,lane1 came and whispered in my ear1 just as we began a fresh game1--',make haste1 as ,mr4 ,ridout has just rung the bell for prayers6' ,this remark was heard by all our party2 and ,i must confess that ,i was hurt by some of the observations which were made4 ,i don't know1 said ,miss ,orme1 why the most religious people may not indulge themselves in these amusements as well as others2 but certainly we think it strange when they do so4 ,i love consistency1 replied ,miss ,holmes4 ,if a family have prayer1 they ought not1 in my opinion1 to spend the evenings in games which certainly have not a religious tendency2 and if they have these games1 they had better leave off prayer1 as they cannot be prepared for it4 ,i knew a young friend1 the daughter of pious parents1 who once had her mind very deeply impressed by a sense of the vanity of the world and the importance of religion2 but in consequence of paying a visit to the house of a professor1 who in the temple was grave1 and in the parlour gay--who alternately played and prayed1 sang songs or psalms1 as fancy dictated--she lost all her pious impressions1 and from that time she became inveterately averse to religion2 and in a conversation which passed between us only a few days since1 a reference being made to it1 she frankly said she could not conquer her aversion1 and she thought she never should4 ,example has a powerful influence1 especially in doing moral injury2 but the most pernicious and dangerous1 is the example of a religious man who acts in opposition to the obligations of his profession--who1 while he professes to be a disciple of ,jesus ,christ1 displays a spirit that is at variance with the sacredness of that character--and retains his religious habits1 even while he conforms to the customs of the world4 ,well1 my dear ,miss ,holmes1 no one will impeach your consistency2 for you are1 without exception1 one of the most decidedly religious ,i ever knew4 ,yes1 said ,emma1 my sister goes rather too far2 and ,i sometimes tell her that she is in danger of becoming a ,pharisee4 ,she sees1 or think she sees1 a dangerous moral tendency in almost every amusement2 and such is the influence she possesses over the fears of our parents1 that they are kept in a state of constant terror lest ,i should read a novel or dance a polka4 ,and is it possible1 my dear ,miss ,holmes1 that either you or your parents can object to dancing6--an exercise so conducive to health--so calculated to give elegance to the form1 to the walk1 and to the action--an accomplishment of so much importance1 that no female can be fit to move in polished society who has not attained it8 ,i believe you learned at school1 dear ,emma2 did you not8 ,yes2 but now ,i am not permitted to go out to parties1 which ,i consider very mortifying4 ,my parents allowed me to learn2 and now ,i have learned1 and am fond of the amusement1 they will not suffer me to practise1 except at home1 where we never have any dancing parties4 ,this is sadly mortifying4 ,they permitted you to learn dancing1 replied her sister1 that you might derive from it those personal accomplishments which ,miss ,orme has so well described2 but as they are aware of its dangerous moral tendency1 they very properly object to your going into large mixed parties4 ,then ought they not to have refused letting me learn to dance1 if they intended to deny me the pleasure of it8#bc ,this is like a father teaching his son the art of engraving1 and then taking away his tools lest he should be transported for coining4 #bc ,the author knows a lady who1 when young1 requested her pious father to permit her to learn to dance4 ,no1 my child1 he replied1 ,i cannot consent to comply with a request which may subject me to your censures at some future period4 ,no1 father1 ,i will never censure you for complying with my request4 ,nor can ,i consent to give you an opportunity4 ,if you learn1 ,i have no doubt but you will excel2 and when you leave school1 you may then want to go into company to exhibit your skill4 ,if ,i then object to let you1 as ,i most likely should1 you would very naturally reply1 ,why1 father1 did you permit me to learn1 if ,i am not permitted to practise8 ,this reply convinced her that her father acted wisely1 though he opposed her inclination3 and though she did learn1 yet1 not having his consent1 she never ventured to expose herself to the dangers of the assembly-room2 as she well knew that she could not do it without grieving her affectionate father4 ,she is now become a parent2 has often mentioned this occurrence as having had a powerful moral influence over her mind in her young and thoughtless days2 and has incorporated this maxim in her system of domestic management--,never to comply with a request which may subject her to any future reflections from her children4 ,you may dance for the purposes for which you were permitted to learn2 but ,i appeal to your good sense1 if it be not an act of kindness1 on the part of our parents1 in withholding their consent from your visiting the ball-room1 when they apprehend you will sustain some moral injury8 ,but you know1 dear ,miss ,holmes1 remarked ,miss ,orme1 that the chief gratification which we derive from any attainment or accomplishment1 is the opportunity of displaying it4 ,what pleasure would there be in learning to paint1 unless we had the liberty of exhibiting our drawings--or who would submit to the labour of learning the notes of the gamut1 if1 after she has succeeded1 she is to be prohibited from playing8 ,we certainly ought to acquire the accomplishments which are necessary to fit us to act our parts in refined society2 but to acquire them for the purpose of mere display1 will be productive of two evils3 in the first place1 it will injure the moral tone of our mind2 and1 in the next place1 it will expose us to the severe satire of the opposite sex1 who have little charity for female vanity4 ,i am sure the gentlemen admire a lady who can sing well1 and play well1 and dance well1 and move with grace as she enters or leaves a room4 ,yes1 my dear ,miss ,orme2 but if she have no higher accomplishments1 though she may be admired1 she will not be respected2 she may have her name mentioned with eclt in the circles of fashion1 but she will not be held in esteem among the wise and the good2 and she may do very well as a partner for a quadrille1 but no man of sense would think of her as his companion for life4 ,the bee is an insect of more value than the butterfly4 ,but do you wish the assembly-rooms deserted8 ,if so1 ,i fear you will never have your wishes realized4 ,but1 to come to the point1 what are the evils which you think result from such scenes of amusement8 ,i do not expect to see such places deserted1 as they hold out so many attractions2 but they are productive of so many evils1 that ,i consider them essentially injurious to the morals of society4 ,there is the expense which they incur1 and the long train of evils which often follow4 ,what costly dresses6 ,what a profusion of useless ornaments must be purchased1 beside the incidental items of expense in going and returning1 and paying for the admission ticket6 ,if the whole expense of one evening's gratification were accurately calculated1 it would astonish us4 ,and what is the consequence of this8 ,the bills of tradesmen are often left undischarged--the claims of benevolence are rejected--and a habit of useless extravagance is formed1 which extends its destructive influence to other branches of domestic expenditure4 ,but ,i have a still more serious objection to urge against such scenes of amusement3 the perilous risk which a female often runs4 ,she goes clad in a light attire--moves about in a warm room--and then suddenly exposes herself1 without any adequate increase of clothing1 to a cold and damp atmosphere1 by which she often sacrifices her health1 and sometimes her life4 ,but you know1 ,miss ,holmes1 that this objection will apply with equal force against our attending a crowded place of worship4 ,not with equal force2 because in a place of worship we remain still during the time of service1 and usually go in warmer1 not to say in more decent attire4 ,the moral influence which such public amusements have over the mind1 is another very powerful objection against them4 ,by your permission ,i will read a paragraph from a good writer1 who expresses himself in very correct and forcible language3--',the objects which1 during the season of youth1 most easily excite vanity and envy in the female breast1 are those which are presented in the ball-room4 ,this is deemed the stage for displaying the attractions1 by the possession of which a young woman is apt to be most elated2 and they are here displayed under circumstances most calculated to call forth the triumph and the animosities of personal competition4 ,this triumph and these animosities betray themselves occasionally to the least discerning eye4 ,but were the recesses of the heart laid open1 how often would the sight of a stranger1 of an acquaintance1 even of a friend1 superior for the evening in the attractions of dress1 or enjoying the supposed advantage of having secured a wealthier1 a more lively1 a more graceful1 or a more fashionable partner1 be found to excite feelings of disgust and of aversion1 not always stopping short of malevolence6 ,how often would the passions be seen inflamed1 and every nerve agitated1 by a thirst for precedence2 and invention be observed labouring to mortify a rival by the affectation of indifference or of contempt6' ,but do you not think it possible for a female to attend a ball without having her breast inflated with vanity1 or surcharged with envy8 ,i certainly admit that it is possible1 but not probable4 ,if she excel others in the richness or the elegance of her dress1 or if she receive any peculiar marks of attention1 will she not feel the flush of vain-glory8 ,and if others excel her1 or receive more marked attentions1 will she not retire from the company stung with envy8 ,and can either of these passions be excited without producing some demoralizing effect8 ,if she become devoted to her personal decoration1 she will be under a strong temptation to neglect the improvement of her mind2 and while this passion enslaves and governs her1 the more amiable and lovely graces will be neglected4 ,and if she become envious of the superior attainments or honours of others1 she will be restless--mortified1 consume her time and expend her money in making useless efforts to equal or surpass them1 and may be induced to invent or to circulate tales of calumny to their injury4 ,but you do not mean to say that these effects are invariably produced8 ,not invariably2 because there are some females who merely visit these places as a passing compliment to the fashion of the age4 ,they attend as spectators of the scene1 rather than as actors#bd--to oblige a friend1 rather than gratify themselves2 and having accomplished the design of their visit1 they retire uninjured1 because they felt no desire to be seen or heard1 alike indifferent whether they have been the objects of attention or have remained unnoticed4 #bd ,the author has known some professors of evangelical religion who have occasionally frequented these scenes of amusement2 and though he would not condemn them as insincere in their religious profession1 yet he cannot conceive how they can approve of their own conduct4 ,if they go occasionally1 others will feel at liberty to go habitually2 and though they may go1 and retire without sustaining any material injury to their principles1 yet they know not how much injury their example may do to others1 and especially their own children4 ,you have stated the evils which you think often result from such public amusements1 but you have made no allusion to the advantages which attend them2 amongst which ,i reckon1 the introduction which they give to the best society4 ,you know that we are confined within the precincts of home--our duties and pursuits are of the more retired order--and though we may take our walks1 and occasionally go to ,bath or ,cheltenham1 or some other fashionable resort1 yet1 if it were not for these public amusements1 we should have no opportunity of being introduced to the company of the other sex4 ,here we are brought together2 and you know1 dear ,miss ,holmes1 that the most important consequences often follow4 ,very true2 but these important consequences are not always the most beneficial4 ,the writer to whom ,i have previously referred1 has made some good remarks on this subject1 which1 by your permission1 ,i will read to you3-- ',an evil of great moment1 which is too frequently known to occur at the places of amusement now under notice1 is the introduction of women to undesirable and improper acquaintance among the other sex2 undesirable and improper1 as ,i would now be understood to mean1 in a moral point of view4 ,men of this description commonly abound at all scenes of public resort and entertainment1 who are distinguished by fortune and birth--gay and conciliating manners--and every qualification which is needful to procure a favourable reception in polite company4 ,hence1 when they propose themselves as partners in an assembly-room1 a lady does not always find it easy1 according to the rules of decorum1 to decline the offer2 and she is sometimes enticed1 by their external appearance1 and by having seen other ladies ambitious of dancing with them1 into a reprehensible inclination not to decline it4 ',women1 in various occurrences of life1 are betrayed by a dread of appearing ungenteelly bashful1 and by a desire of rendering themselves agreeable1 into an indiscreet freedom of manners and conversation with men of whom they know perhaps but little2 and still more frequently1 into a greater degree of freedom with those of whom they have more knowledge than can fitly be indulged1 except towards persons with whom they are connected by particular ties4 ,the temptation is in no place more powerful than in a ball-room4 ,let not indiscriminate familiarity be shown towards all partners1 nor injudicious familiarity towards any4 ,to reject every boisterous and unbecoming mode of dancing1 and to observe1 in every point1 the strictest modesty in attire1 are cautions on which1 in addressing women of delicacy1 it is surely needless to insist4' ,well1 ,i assure you1 my dear ,miss ,holmes1 ,i think both you and the writer you have just quoted1 overrate the dangers to which we are exposed by attending such scenes of amusement2 for ,i have never known a friend injured by them1 nor have ,i ever heard of such a thing4 ,you forget what befell ,miss ,moss4#be #be ,miss ,moss was a young lady of rare accomplishments--the only child of a pious and affectionate mother4 ,shortly after leaving school1 she succeeded1 with much difficulty1 in obtaining her mother's reluctant consent to go once to the assembly-room1 just to see the parties4 ,she was dressed most elegantly2 and having a graceful form1 and a fine open countenance1 glowing with health1 she excited considerable attention4 ,one gentleman1 who had been very polite during the evening1 and who was her superior in rank1 solicited the honour of conducting her home1 which was granted4 ,having ascertained the usual time and place of her evening walk1 he met her--made her an offer1 which she accepted2 when1 having secured her affections1 he accomplished her ruin1 and left her4 ,this broke her mother's heart1 and eventually broke her own2 and the parent and the daughter were buried in the same grave1 at the distance of about six months from each other's funeral1 each deploring1 when too late1 the danger resulting from the assembly-room4 ,nor is this an uncommon instance4 ,at these places the spirits of evil resort1 availing themselves of the freedom of intercourse which is tolerated2 and having marked their victim1 they proceed1 with all the cunning and duplicity of the author of all evil1 to accomplish their unhallowed purpose4 ,if1 then1 parents wish to preserve the honour of their children uncontaminated1 or if females1 who are grown to years of discretion1 wish to avoid the snares in which others have been overtaken1 they ought to shun the resorts of the licentious and impure1 as no one can be safe in their society4 ,i beg pardon4 ,i do4 ,ah6 that was a tragical event4 ,and how many tragical events have risen out of these scenes of amusement6 ,you have read1 ,i have no doubt1 the following account of one which befell a very holy man3--',when ,herod's birth-day was kept1 the daughter of ,herodias danced before them and pleased ,herod4 ,whereupon he promised1 with an oath1 to give her whatsoever she would ask4 ,and she1 being before instructed of her mother1 said1 ,give me here ,john ,baptist's head in a charger4 ,and the king was sorry3 nevertheless1 for the oath's sake1 and them which sat with him at meat1 he commanded it to be given her4 ,and he sent1 and beheaded ,john in the prison4 ,and his head was brought in a charger1 and given to the damsel3 and she brought it to her mother4' ,how this damsel could so far subdue the common feelings of human nature1 and still more the natural tenderness of her own sex1 as not only to endure so disgusting a spectacle1 but even to carry the bleeding trophy in triumph to her mother1 is not easy to imagine2 but it shows1 that a life of fashionable gaiety and dissipation not only prevents the growth of the more amiable and useful virtues1 but sometimes calls into action those feelings and passions which lead to rapine and murder4 ,the late excellent ,bishop ,horne closes his life of ,st4 ,john in such a forcible and beautiful manner1 that the author does not conceive it necessary to offer any apology to his readers for its insertion on the present occasion3-- ,the ,baptist's fate being determined1 'immediately the king sent an executioner1 and commanded his head to be brought3 and he went1 and beheaded him in the prison4' ,this deed of darkness must have been done in the season proper for it--the middle of the night2 and ,st4 ,john was probably awakened1 to receive his sentence1 out of that sleep which truth and innocence can secure to their possessor in any situation4 ,the generality of mankind have reason enough to deprecate a sudden death1 lest it should surprise them in one of their many unguarded hours4 ,but to ,st4 ,john no hour could be such4 ,he had finished the work which ,god had given him to do4 ,he had kept the faith1 and preserved a conscience void of offence4 ,he had done his duty1 and waited daily and hourly1 we may be sure1 for his departure4 ,he was now1 therefore1 called off from his station with honour--to quit the well-fought field for the palace of the ,great ,king--to refresh himself1 after the dust1 and toil1 and heat of the day1 by bathing in the fountain of life and immortality--to exchange his blood-stained armour for a robe of glory--and to have his temporary labours rewarded with eternal rest--to sit down with ,abraham1 and ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 in the kingdom of ,god--and as the friend of the ,bridegroom1 to enter into the joy of his ,lord4 ,from the darkness and confinement of a prison1 he passed to the liberty and light of heaven2 and while malice was gratified with a sight of his head1 and his body was carried by a few friends in silence to the grave1 his immortal spirit repaired to a court1 where no ,herod desires to have his brother's wife--where no ,herodias thirsts after the blood of a prophet--where he who hath laboured with sincerity and diligence in the work of reformation is sure to be well received--where holiness1 zeal1 and constancy are crowned1 and receive palms from the ,son of ,god1 whom they confessed in the world4 ',so sinks the day-star in the ocean bed1 ,and yet anon uprears his drooping head1 ,and tricks his beams1 and with new spangled ore1 ,flames in the forehead of the morning sky-- ,he hears the unexpressive nuptial song ,in the blest kingdoms meek of joy and love4 ,there entertain him all the saints above1 ,in solemn troops and sweet societies2 ,that sing1 and singing in their glory move1 ,and wipe the tears for ever from his eyes4'--,,milton4 ,,the ,,unhappy ,,attachment4 ,the institution of marriage is a provision made by ,divine ,providence to promote human happiness2 but owing to the imprudence and haste with which it is sometimes contracted1 it not unfrequently becomes a source of extreme wretchedness4 ,this union should never be formed1 except by those who have a strong affection for each other2 and even then1 the utmost degree of prudence should regulate their conduct1 both in the appointment of the time when it should take place1 and the adjustment of the various interests which it involves4 ,when persons marry mainly for the purpose of adding to their worldly estate1 or obtaining a higher position in society1 it rarely happens that an alliance entered into from such motives can be productive of domestic happiness4 ,and even when the purest feelings of affection and love influence the youthful pair1 inspiring them with the determination to sacrifice the esteem of friends1 and the attractions of this world's wealth1 rather than break the solemn vow and separate for life1 they should beware of rashness and headlong impetuosity1 pondering well the desirableness of the connection they are about to form1 and feeling well assured that it is really a step which must conduce to their welfare4 ,when persons1 who have no parents or judicious friends whom they can consult1 are making arrangements for marriage1 they should exercise more than ordinary discretion1 lest they plunge themselves into difficulties from which no one can rescue them4 ,but when parents are living1 not to consult them1 and pay some degree of deference to their opinion1 is an offence against the law of propriety1 and generally productive of the most fatal evils4 ,parents are more deeply interested in the marriage of their children than any other persons1 and no pledges ought to be given between the contracting parties till they have been spoken to on the subject4 ,this is a mark of respect to which they are justly entitled4 ,and are they not1 from their age1 and experience1 and affection1 qualified to give advice8 ,how far it is binding on a young person to obey his or her parents1 who may disapprove of a proposed marriage1 is a question which ,i shall not presume to decide2 but that no young person ought to give or receive any inviolable pledge1 till they have been solicited to give their opinion and sanction1 is a point too obvious to the dictates of good sense and filial attachment1 to need any lengthened discussion4 ,but how very rarely is this the case6 ,an affection is formed and cherished--it grows up into ardent and romantic attachment--interviews take place--letters and presents are exchanged--and after the imagination has been captivated with bright visions of future happiness1 the parents are requested to give their permission1 not their advice4 ,if1 now1 they object1 either from caprice1 or from a full conviction that the proposed union is improper or unsuitable1 what direful consequences often result6 ,their objections1 in some cases1 are treated with scorn1 and the marriage takes place in defiance of their authority2 and1 in some instances1 when their objections are admitted to be valid1 they are still doomed to see the fairest flower of their family fade and die under the slow1 yet fatal influence of a passion1 which is too strong to be quenched1 and too baneful to be cherished4 ,these evils1 which are so often springing up within the domestic circle--destroying the peace and the happiness of parents and of children1 and setting at variance the members of the same household--might be avoided1 if1 before adopting any decisive measures1 the parents--who have a right to expect such a mark of respect1 who have so much of their own respectability and happiness at issue1 and who are1 in general1 so well qualified to give judicious counsel--were consulted4 ,but do not parents sometimes bring upon themselves1 and upon their children1 the very evils which they are anxious to avoid8 ,do they not1 by their reserve--by their sternness--by their positive unwillingness to admit their children into familiar intercourse1 and by their uniform habit of neglecting to encourage them to ask their advice in their different pursuits in life1 indirectly compel them to concealment1 from the dread of a furious outbreak of passion8 ,how many a dutiful son has been known to say1 ,i would consult my father1 but he will not listen to my solicitation6 ,how many an amiable daughter has said1 on an offer being made her1 ,i should like to take counsel from my parents1 but they will not give it4 ,they will condemn my attachment without inquiry--without respecting my feelings1 and without assigning any reasons for their decision6 ,thus1 the inexperienced child is often thrown on her own resources1 in reference to the most momentous step in life1 in consequence of being unable to apply for the advice of her parents2 and dire necessity compels her to profound secresy1 till the fact of her attachment1 having been discovered by some accident1 is heard with indignation4 ,an order to discontinue all further correspondence with the object of her affection is now peremptorily issued1 which merely serves to increase the ardour of her attachment1 and make her resolute in her choice1 without regard to consequences4 ,let parents1 then1 if they wish to guide and control their children on these important occasions1 induce them to repose in them an implicit confidence--to consult them1 as friends1 on every occasion of difficulty2 and by the avoidance of dictation1 imperative command1 or stern1 unexplained prohibition1 endeavour to rule over them by a mild authority1 tempered with the purest affection2 and1 by a course of practical wisdom1 in assigning plain1 palpable1 and important reasons for the advice they give1 make it evident that they are influenced by a regard for their children's welfare1 rather than by mere caprice or an arbitrary will4 ,and though instances may occur in the history of human life1 in which such a wise method of procedure may fail in the accomplishment of its object2 and a perverse or reserved disposition may lead the son or daughter to set at naught the kindest and best advice1 when given in the most unexceptionable manner2 yet there is reason to believe1 that where parents have acted towards their children as they ought to act1 such a disastrous result will be of rare occurrence4 ,as we are commanded by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 to make known all our requests unto ,god1 ,i cannot conceive of any matter in which we ought to seek his direction more earnestly1 than in the choice of the person who is to be our companion for life4 ,he knows our tempers1 our dispositions1 and our propensities2 the future temptations and trials to which we shall be subjected1 and all the various ills that will intersect our path in life2 and he has promised1 that if we acknowledge him in all our ways1 he will direct our steps4 ,ought we not to implore his guidance in the selection of a suitable partner1 to share our sorrows1 and enhance our joys8--one who will soothe us1 under the agitations of distress1 tranquillize the irritation of passion1 assist us by judicious counsel1 and who will give a higher tone to our character1 by inducing us to add to virtue1 knowledge2 and to knowledge1 temperance2 and to temperance1 patience2 and to patience1 godliness2 and to godliness1 brotherly kindness2 and to brotherly kindness1 charity4 ,but how rarely is this duty attended to1 even by those who make a profession of religion1 till they see one who captivates their heart2 and then the sanction of ,god is requested1 rather than his counsel2 and he is importuned to remove the obstructions which impede the gratification of our wishes1 instead of being solicited to keep us from forming an alliance which will be injurious to our happiness1 our usefulness1 and our honour6 ,and are not ,christian parents1 in general1 too inattentive to this branch of their duty8 ,are they not1 in the case of the marriage of their children1 apt to depend too much on their own judgment to decide on its fitness8 ,and are they not more frequently influenced in their decision by the love of wealth1 and of worldly respectability1 than by those moral and religious considerations1 which ought ever to maintain an absolute authority over them8 ,as their own peace1 and the present and eternal happiness of their children1 and their children's children1 depend so much on this important measure1 they ought often to pray1 as their children are rising to maturity1 that he who fixes the bounds of our habitation1 and determines for us the number of our years on earth1 would be pleased to form their connections1 and sanctify their marriage by his blessing8 ,is it not by the adoption of such a course of practical devotion1 that parents are encouraged to expect that their sons and their daughters will be preserved from the hand of strange children1 whose mouth speaketh vanity1 and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood3 and be induced to form those alliances which will be no less a source of happiness than of honour--handing down not only their names1 but their principles1 their example1 and their influence to bless and adorn the succeeding generation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the intimacy which subsisted between ,emma ,holmes and her young friend ,miss ,orme proved essentially injurious to the moral tone and feelings of her mind2 and eventually brought on the family a series of trials which overwhelmed them in the deepest sorrow4 ,this intimacy commenced at school1 just as her character began to receive its complexion and its tendencies2 and when she stood most in need of those checks and restraints1 and that salutary advice1 which she would have received1 if her companion had been imbued with the grace of pure religion4 ,from the cast of her mind1 which bore no resemblance to that of either of her sisters1 she imbibed1 at an early age1 strong prejudices against evangelical piety2 and though at one period she felt the reproaches of an evil conscience1 and the terrors of the law falling upon her1 yet she soon cast them off1 and became still more volatile and gay4 ,the inconsistent conduct of some professors was the immediate cause of effacing her deep and solemn impressions of the vanity of the world and the importance of religion2 and though she would readily admit that this circumstance was no valid argument against the reality of personal piety1 yet she could never conquer that painful aversion which it had excited in her mind against the love of the truth4 ,this strong aversion was strengthened and increased by many accidental circumstances1 from which at the time no bad effects were apprehended4 ,her sister ,louisa had established a periodical interchange of visits between her own family and the ,corries1 and their uncouth phraseology of speech was no less offensive to ,emma's taste1 than their dogmatic opinions were revolting to her moral feelings4 ,their intellectual weakness imperceptibly destroyed that reverence for the ,christian faith which she had felt1 when contemplating it as associated with minds of a higher order1 and greater degree of refinement4 ,their perpetual recurrence to a few favourite opinions--the tenacity with which they held them1 even when fairly refuted by sound argument--the self-complacency which they discovered in their assumed superior illumination1 after an unsuccessful effort to support the dogmas of their belief--and the sang-froid with which they condemned as unenlightened and unconverted every one who professed sentiments differing from their own--excited in her mind a great dislike to evangelical religion4 ,while these good people required from the chosen few a more entire renunciation of the world than is compatible with its claims on our attention2 and while they visited with severe censures the slightest degree of conformity to its style of dress or of living--condemning even a taste for music1 poetry1 or art1 as a proof of a carnal mind2 they gave to the unconverted the utmost latitude1 and maintained that pious parents should not attempt to impose any restrictions on their children1 assigning as a reason that if they were not elected to eternal life1 this was the only state in which they could enjoy happiness1 and that to deprive them of it by prohibiting them from walking in the ways of their own heart1 and in the sight of their own eyes1 would be an act of cruelty and folly4 ,in vain did ,mr4 ,holmes argue1 that secret things belong to ,god1 and the revealed promises and prohibitions to us and to our children2 they invariably met his arguments by saying1 that the mysteries of the kingdom were concealed from the wise and the prudent1 being revealed only to babes4 ,these speculative notions1 if confined within their own pious circle1 would have done but little injury1 but being introduced as the theme of frequent discussion and debate in ,emma's presence1 they supplied her with a powerful argument in justification of her own predilections4 ,it was at this period1 when her mind was vacillating between a lingering reverence and a positive aversion to evangelical religion1 that she happened to pay a visit to ,redhill1 the seat of ,colonel ,orme1 her friend's father4 ,here she passed at once from the chastened seriousness and fervent devotion of domestic order and piety1 to the levity and gaiety of fashionable life2 and being removed from the control of her parents1 she devoted herself to worldly pleasures and amusements with an ardour of feeling which bespoke the energy of her ruling passion4 ,the ,colonel was a good-natured1 pleasant man2 he had been gay in his younger days1 but was now become very domestic in his habits4 ,he was a professed infidel2 and though he had too much politeness to make a direct attack upon religion in ,emma's presence1 he nevertheless availed himself of every favourable opportunity to lower it in her estimation4 ,he related facetious stories which had been got up for the purpose of burlesquing the doctrines of the new birth1 and salvation by grace--introduced some grave tales to calumniate the conduct of the evangelical clergy1 and gave it as his decided opinion1 that the fanaticism of the country would destroy the energy and glory of the ,english character4 ,mrs4 ,orme was quite the lady of fashion1 fond of dress and cards1 operas and balls2 and as for ,sunday1 she was sometimes seen at church1 but then it was principally to show a mark of respect to the clergyman1 who was a particular friend of the ,colonel's4 ,the ,colonel had three daughters by his present wife1 and one son by a former marriage4 ,as it required all his income to support the style in which he lived1 he could make no provision for his son beyond the commission he had obtained for him in the army1 yet he flattered himself on being able to form for him some good alliance2 and understanding that ,mr4 ,holmes was possessed of great wealth1 he resolved1 if possible1 to secure ,emma as a partner for his son4 ,he broached the subject to his wife and eldest daughter1 and both agreed that the idea was most excellent4 ,indeed1 ,papa1 said ,miss ,orme1 ,i think she is the very woman for ,charles4 ,i am sure he will be captivated with her4 ,such beauty1 such elegance of manners1 so much wit2 and ,i should suppose1 from the style in which the ,holmeses live1 such a handsome fortune4 ,i don't look at beauty1 said ,mrs4 ,orme1 for that will fade2 nor at elegance of manners1 for that obtains no distinction in the present day2 nor yet at wit1 for that often brings people into trouble2 but ,i look at the fortune4 ,can you form any idea how much she is likely to have8 ,have you ever spoken to her on the subject8 ,o dear1 yes1 ,mamma2 ,i said to her one day1 as we were walking down the ,green ,lanes1 just when we came opposite that beautiful house1 with the lawn and carriage sweep before it3 ',i suppose1 ,emma1 nothing less than a carriage and four will please you1' at which she smiled4 ,i do think she expects a very handsome fortune4 ,ay1 ay1 said the ,colonel1 these ,london citizens never retire from business till they have feathered their nest very comfortably2 but they are1 like old birds1 rather wary1 and we must be cautious how we set the nets1 or we shall not be able to catch the game4 ,this business requires management1 and as ,i understand how to manoeuvre you must leave it to me4 ,you women are too hasty in your movements4 ,well1 well1 said ,mrs4 ,orme1 ,i don't care who takes the management of the business1 so that it is managed properly4 ,but ,i must suggest one idea before ,i have done1 and that is1 ,emma herself had better be asked the question1 whether she is engaged1 or has any objection to the army4 ,yes1 exactly so1 ,mamma4 ,that idea struck me just now2 and ,i think it a most excellent one2 and as we are to walk out in the evening1 ,i will propose it4 ,i have no doubt but she will tell me2 and if1 ,papa1 she feels any reluctance1 ,i could argue the case with her1 and ,i have no doubt ,i should succeed4 ,i am so delighted the idea ever entered your mind4 ,you will each keep at your posts1 said the ,colonel1 and not move or speak in this business till ,i give the word of command4 ,the first thing to be done is to ascertain if ,charles will put off his present engagement with ,miss ,collingwood1 and the next is to see whether he will take a fancy to ,miss ,holmes4 ,why1 ,colonel1 said his wife1 ,i am surprised to hear you talk so irrationally6 ,do you think he would hesitate breaking off that engagement a single moment8 ,why1 he said to me just before he left home1 ',i am apprehensive1 from what ,i heard at the mess1 that ,collingwood is not the man of wealth ,i thought he was when my intimacy with his family commenced1 and ,i must make more particular inquiries4' ,perhaps he won't object1 said the ,colonel1 though you know it is a point of honour which every man can't pass2 but as he has passed it once1 he may again4 ,in the evening1 just before they sat down to cards1 the ,colonel opened the campaign1 by saying1 ,it is natural for every man to give a decided preference to his own profession2 but for my part1 if ,i were to begin life again1 and had my choice1 ,i would enter the army4 ,there it is a man acquires glory4 ,and there it is1 said ,emma1 he is exposed to danger4 ,why1 very true1 ,miss ,holmes1 but you know that the field of danger is where the crown of honour is won6 ,yes1 but what sacrifice of feeling does it require8 ,why1 very true1 but you know feeling is rather sentimental6 ,sentimental1 ,sir6 said the lively young lady1 and did you think so when you received your wound in the head8 ,it was then1 ,i suspect1 felt to be real4 ,why1 yes1 said the ,colonel1 somewhat embarrassed1 very true2 but we don't pay much regard to feeling when engaged in the conflict4 ,so ,i suppose2 nor much regard to feeling in prospect of the conflict1 and still less when it is over4 ,there you are mistaken2 for before the battle begins1 a death-like horror comes over the most courageous spirit2 but when it is over1 the shout of victory gives an ecstasy of delight4 ,but how is it changed when you look round on the mangled bodies of the slain--on your friends and comrades weltering in their blood--or think of the wives and children whom the sword makes widows and orphans6 ,ah1 true1 that's the worst of it3 but you know that wars and fightings have been from the beginning1 and will be to the end2 and some must engage in them4 ,i presume1 said ,emma1 addressing herself to ,mrs4 ,orme1 you must have felt intense agony of mind1 every time the ,colonel left you for actual service6 ,at first ,i did1 but after ,i got used to it1 ,i did not regard it1 for use1 you know1 my dear1 is second nature2 and then there was so much pleasure on his return4 ,there is1 certainly1 said the ,colonel1 some danger attending the profession of arms2 but it is the most honourable profession in which a gentleman can be engaged2 and though humanity may shudder at sight of the evils attending it1 yet a true soldier is one of the most tender-hearted men living4 ,your eloquence1 ,sir1 said ,miss ,emma1 brings to my recollection what ,i once read3--',one murder makes a villain--a thousand a hero2' and though you descant most feelingly on the tenderness of a soldier's heart1 you no doubt refer to it1 when touched by the point of the sword4 ,or1 said the ,colonel gallantly1 when pierced by a woman's eye6 ,here the conversation ended1 and they passed the evening at their favourite game4 ,i fear1 said ,mrs4 ,orme1 as soon as she found herself alone with her husband1 she has no predilection for the profession2 and if so1 our hopes are blasted4 ,yes1 yes1 she has1 only she has thrown up a masked battery in her own defence2 but when ,charles comes1 you will see with what ease he will destroy it4 ,a few days after this conversation1 ,colonel and ,mrs4 ,orme entertained a large party at dinner1 at which a brilliant company of fashionable friends and acquaintances was present4 ,as this was the first party that had been invited during her visit1 ,emma bestowed a more than ordinary attention on her personal appearance4 ,her dress1 if not expensive1 was elegant1 and though there were other ladies who surpassed her in the richness of their attire1 there was no one who equalled her in the beauty of her figure1 or the grace and elegance of her movements4 ,she now felt herself1 for the first time in her life1 in a position which gave her an opportunity of displaying her attractions1 which she did with so much grace1 that she excited the envy and admiration of the company1 who were astonished when they heard that this was the daughter of ,mr4 ,holmes4 ,in the course of the evening the rumble of wheels was heard at the door1 and soon after a handsome young man entered the drawing-room1 whom ,emma at once perceived to be ,charles ,orme1 on his parents and sister hastening forward to meet him4 ,he had just got leave of absence1 he said1 for a few weeks1 and sooner than he expected1 which had brought him to ,redhill1 without previously sending any notice4 ,emma was quite charmed with his appearance1 and still more so when the ,colonel1 walking up to her1 said1 ,allow me1 ,miss ,holmes1 to introduce to you my son ,charles--,charles1 ,miss ,emma ,holmes4 ,this is an unlooked-for pleasure1 ,miss ,holmes1 said ,captain ,orme1 performing his part in the ceremony of the introduction with the most polished gallantry2 ,i have often heard of you from my sister in her letters4 ,what charming weather this is6 ,pray1 may ,i have you as a partner1 as ,i see they are getting up a quadrille8 ,emma gracefully consented2 and from that moment her destiny in life was fixed4 ,on the other hand1 ,captain ,orme was quite struck with her beauty2 and though the apparent heartiness of his manner1 at his first introduction1 was merely the result of that vanity which seeks to engross for itself the company of the most elegant woman present1 he could not help experiencing1 even in his cold and selfish heart1 a somewhat deeper and more serious feeling1 as he conversed with this young and beautiful girl4 ,colonel and ,mrs4 ,orme viewed1 with great satisfaction1 the evident impression made on their son by ,emma's beauty2 and1 accordingly1 after their guests had departed1 they communicated to him the matrimonial speculation they had in view for him4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,meeting ,,of ,,captain ,,orme ,,and ,,emma ,,holmes4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #ceb4 ,i am sure1 ,charles1 said his father1 there could not be a more desirable match3 youth1 beauty1 and last1 not least 7with a significant leer71 a very handsome fortune4 ,has she her fortune at her own command8 asked his son4 ,why1 no1 the wealth of the ,holmes family has all been accumulated by the old man2 and ,i should suppose the amount of this girl's fortune must be dependent on his will4 ,but he will1 doubtless1 give her a handsome portion1 if he is satisfied with the match4 ,now1 that is just the difficulty1 said ,mrs4 ,orme4 ,the family1 always strong ,evangelicals1 have lately turned ,dissenters1 because1 forsooth1 ,mr4 ,vaughan's sermons are not sufficiently methodistical to please them4 ,mr4 ,holmes has a great prejudice against the military profession1 as one both of a questionable nature in itself1 and beset with numerous temptations4 ,we must1 then1 play our cards well1 and act with caution4 ,the first thing1 said the ,colonel1 is for you1 ,charles1 to pay your addresses to ,miss ,holmes4 ,i do not think there will be much difficulty with her4 ,well1 ,i should rather suppose there would not1 replied the modest youth1 contemplating1 with considerable satisfaction1 his elegant figure in the mirror over the drawing-room chimney-piece2 it shall not be my fault if she does not become ,mrs4 ,orme4 ,but good night4 ,i was up all last night at ,lady ,fortescue's ball1 and must be off to bed4 ,one word1 ,charles1 said his mother1 what are you going to do with ,miss ,collingwood8 ,o1 that has all been over for some time4 ,i learned that her father has nothing to depend on but his pay1 and that his daughter's fortune1 left her by an aunt1 amounts only to three thousand pounds1 and is so tied up1 that ,i should never be able to touch a shilling of it4 ,so ,i am well out of that affair4 ,the ,captain was a young man about the age of twenty-five4 ,he had inherited from his mother a handsome fortune1 which he received on coming of age2 but such had been his profuse extravagance1 before and after he entered the army1 that when he had paid his so-called debts of honour1 and the ,jew brokers who had advanced him money1 he found himself unable to defray the bills of his tradesmen1 who were clamorous for the settlement of their accounts4 ,various were the expedients which he employed to keep them from carrying their threats into execution2 and at length he resolved on marriage1 as the only alternative he could devise1 to extricate himself from his embarrassments4 ,he first paid his addresses to the eldest daughter of a country gentleman1 but soon quitted her on ascertaining the small amount of fortune which she possessed4 ,a similar reason1 as above-mentioned1 induced him to desert ,miss ,collingwood1 the daughter of a retired major in the ,indian army2 and now he prepared to pay his addresses to the more accomplished and the more wealthy daughter of ,mr4 ,holmes4 ,he1 of course1 concealed from the latter the history of his former life1 spoke of the fortune which fell to him by the death of his mother1 as though it were still in his possession1 and assured her that he had no other motive in view than the honour and felicity of being permitted to call her his wife4 ,unaccustomed to the duplicity of the world1 and fudging of others1 from the integrity of her own heart1 she listened to his overtures with pleasure1 and though she proposed speaking to her parents before she ventured to give any decisive reply1 yet this was overruled by ,mrs4 ,orme1 who suggested the expediency of deferring it for the present4 ,you know1 my dear1 said the intriguing woman1 your ,papa and ,mamma1 from their peculiar sentiments on religion1 may feel some objection to ,charles's profession1 and it will be necessary to adopt some plan to reconcile them to it2 and1 as an opening has now been made1 the ,colonel and ,i both think that we had better establish a close intimacy with the ,elms1 before anything is said on the subject4 ,on her return home1 she intermingled with the family as usual1 preserved the same degree of decorum in her attention to religious duties1 and at times appeared thoughtful and sedate1 which induced her unsuspecting sister to imagine that she was beginning to feel the deep impressions of religion on her heart4 ,amidst all her gaiety1 and sprightliness1 and aversion to decided piety1 she had always displayed an honest frankness when speaking on the subject1 but now she had a part to act which required duplicity2 and having been tutored to this vice at the ,colonel's1 she soon became a proficient4 ,as her sister ,louisa had made some reference to her comparative sedateness1 and expressed1 in very delicate terms1 her hope that it was the beginning of the great change1 she resolved to assume a more uniform gravity of manner1 that she might more effectually conceal the passion which had taken such strong hold of her feelings4 ,she made no allusion to the scenes of gaiety she had recently witnessed1 and in which she moved as one of the most admired figures2 nor did she express any wish to repeat her visit1 which rather tended to confirm the hopes of her sister4 ,jane and ,i1 said ,miss ,holmes1 as they were all rising from the dinner table1 are going to see ,mrs4 ,kent2 will you accompany us1 ,emma8 ,certainly4 ,i long to see the old lady4 ,she is a real ,christian1 ,i have no doubt2 and if her mind had received the same degree of cultivation as her heart1 she would have exhibited the majesty and force no less than the amiable traits of religion4 ,i was not aware1 replied ,miss ,holmes1 with a smile of pleasure1 that you ever associated such qualities with the pure religion of ,jesus ,christ4 ,o yes1 ,i do2 and ,i am delighted when ,i see them embodied in a living character2 but they must be blended to produce their full effect4 ,but is not the beauty of religion more attractive than its grandeur8 ,it may be so to some persons1 but not to me4 ,i prefer a mind that can discourse on the doctrines of ,christianity in a style of speech which bears some analogy to their sublime greatness4 ,i hope1 dear ,emma1 said ,miss ,holmes1 you do not now feel that strong antipathy to the ,corries which you have heretofore manifested2 for though they are weak ,christians1 yet you must acknowledge they are pious4 ,yes1 they may be pious1 replied ,emma1 with some sarcastic warmth of manner2 but who that has any feeling of respect for the honour of ,christianity does not regret that their piety is not confined to a cloister8 ,mrs4 ,kent exhibits the beauty of religion1 the ,corries its deformity3 ,mrs4 ,kent would make an infidel believe1 but the ,corries would make a ,christian doubt2 she1 by the artless simplicity of her instructions1 would 444 'rear the tender thought1 ,and teach the young idea how to shoot2' till the principle of grace grows up laden with the fruits of righteousness2 they1 by their vanity and self-conceit1 their dogmatism1 and perverse obstinacy of opinion1 would shake the strongest faith4 ,or1 to speak in plain terms1 such ,christians as the ,corries should never speak on religious subjects in the presence of the irreligious2 for if they do1 they will confirm the enmity which they wish to subdue1 and give a degree of encouragement to sin which they do not intend4 ,the old woman had just finished reading a letter when the young ladies entered her cottage2 and though she received them with her usual kind manner1 yet she could not conceal the powerful agitation of her feelings4 ,i hope1 said ,miss ,holmes1 we are not intruding4 ,no1 ,miss1 ,i am very glad to see you2 and ,i hope you will not allow my distress to give you any trouble4 ,o1 said ,emma1 if you are in trouble let us know the cause of it2 though ,i ought to apologize for having asked such an impertinent question4 ,the question is not impertinent1 and therefore ,i beg you will say nothing about an apology4 ,i have just received a letter from my dear boy1 who has been absent from me these fourteen years1 and as ,i had not heard from him for many months ,i thought he was dead4 ,where is he8 ,he is with his regiment at the ,cape of ,good ,hope1 very ill in the hospital1 and says he does not expect that ,i shall ever hear from him again4 ,he was once a good1 obedient son1 much attached to his mother1 but he fell into evil company1 and was enticed to enlist as a soldier4 ,he said nothing to me about it for many days after he had done it1 or ,i could have got him off by speaking to ,squire ,ridgeway2 but ,i did not know anything about it till the night before he was marched off1 and since then ,i have never seen him2 and now he is confined in the hospital so far off that ,i can't go to nurse him1 nor speak to him about the ,saviour who came into the world to save sinners4 ,i hope you will excuse me1 ladies1 but a mother can't help weeping4 ,while the poor old woman was telling this affecting tale1 the countenance of ,emma underwent very perceptible changes1 from the deep crimson blush to a deathlike paleness1 till1 overpowered by her feelings1 she fainted in the arms of her sister4 ,she was taken into the open air1 and various expedients were adopted to restore her1 which after a short time proved successful4 ,dear creature1 said ,mrs4 ,kent1 fanning her1 she has a tender heart1 and can't bear to hear of another's sorrows4 ,i am grieved that ,i said anything about my affliction1 it has proved too much for her4 ,she has1 ,miss ,holmes remarked1 a great esteem for you1 which is the cause of her having felt so great an interest in your calamity2 but she will soon be better4 ,on recovering1 she expressed her regret that the weakness of her nerves should occasion so much trouble2 and having taken a draught of water1 she rose1 and leaning on the arms of her sisters1 soon after walked home4 ,during the evening she endeavoured to resume her usual cheerfulness1 but she could not1 and dreading a recurrence of the fit1 she complained of indisposition1 and retired to rest4 ,in the morning1 when her sister ,louisa went into her room1 she found her in a sweet sleep2 and1 as she was stealing away1 she saw a miniature lying on her dressing-table1 and on looking at it thought it bore a strong resemblance to ,captain ,orme1 who1 after ,emma's return home1 had one day called with his sister4 ,the following day ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes were surprised by a call from the ,colonel and ,miss ,orme1 who came to invite them to meet a select dinner party2 and1 though they had resolved not to intermix with the gay world1 yet they knew not how to refuse such an expression of politeness1 especially as they had been so kind to ,emma4 ,they therefore consented4 ,mamma requested me1 said ,miss ,orme to her young friend1 to offer you the loan of this book1 which she thinks you will like4 ,it is a very religious one4 ,you may open it at your leisure4 ,the emphasis which was placed on this sentence1 viewed in connection with the miniature painting1 awakened the suspicion of ,miss ,holmes1 who now believed that some secret correspondence was going on between her sister and ,captain ,orme2 and an accidental occurrence took place in the course of the day1 which removed every doubt from her mind4 ,emma on taking her handkerchief out of her reticule1 as she was retiring from the parlour after dinner1 dropped a letter1 which her mother picked up1 and read4 ,she immediately presented it to ,mr4 ,holmes1 who also read it4 ,this was a letter which ,mrs4 ,orme had inclosed between the leaves of the book she had sent to ,emma1 informing her that ,charles was well1 and wanted to meet her that evening1 at ,mrs4 ,paton's4 ,she added that she hoped she had contrived to keep all at the ,elms ignorant of the affair1 as the ,colonel was still of opinion that they should not be spoken to on the business till everything was properly arranged4 ,this letter1 which explained the obscure parts of ,emma's conduct1 involved the whole family in great perplexity2 and they were at a loss to know what course to pursue1 that would save her from the snares which had been laid to entrap her4 ,at length it was resolved to replace the letter1 and leave the room4 ,this was done1 and on passing through the hall1 ,mr4 ,holmes met her1 and said1 ,i am going1 my dear1 to take a ride in the carriage this afternoon1 will you go with me8 ,certainly1 ,papa4 ,on entering the parlour she found her letter1 and eagerly seized it1 presuming that it had escaped detection4 ,she had given her promise to accompany her father when her feelings were strongly excited by the dread of having ,mrs4 ,orme's letter to her discovered2 but now she began to complain of indisposition1 and wished to decline the proposed ride4 ,however1 her objections were overruled1 and she went4 ,on the following morning1 her father1 finding her alone1 took the opportunity of alluding to his anxiety for her spiritual and temporal welfare1 and hoped that she would take no important step in life without the advice and approbation of her parents4 ,do you think it possible1 ,papa1 that ,i could be so unwise or so undutiful as to take any important step without consulting you8 ,tell me1 my dear child1 said her father1 taking her by the hand1 have you not already been induced to do so1 and that by the persuasion of others8 ,this question1 proposed in the mildest accents1 and with every expression of parental tenderness1 staggered and confounded her1 and1 after a momentary pause1 she fell on her knees and implored forgiveness4 ,yes1 my father1 ,i have been induced to act a part which ,i sincerely regret4 ,forgive me1 ,i beseech you4 ,she frankly confessed the whole plot2 offered to return every letter and present she had received1 and promised that she would never suffer herself to be again beguiled from the path of duty4 ,these presents ,mr4 ,holmes sent back to the ,colonel's1 accompanied by the following letter3-- ,,sir1--,since your call on ,thursday morning1 ,i have detected the intimacy which has been formed between my daughter and your son2 and am surprised that you and ,mrs4 ,orme should so far forget the obligations which are due to a parent1 as to dissuade my child from consulting me on a measure of so much importance to our happiness1 and her own4 ,had the young people resolved to practise this species of deception on me without your knowledge or consent1 ,i should blame them only2 but as this plot has been got up by you1 ,i must say1 that the amount of their fault is lost in the greater magnitude of yours2 and ,i have no doubt but your object is to repair the ruined fortune of your son at the expense of my daughter's happiness4 ,you will therefore allow me to say1 that all intimacy between our families has ceased4--,yours1 c4 ,after this abrupt termination of an intimacy which had opened before her the prospect of a connection for life1 she appeared for a few days relieved from an oppressive burden of anxiety1 and was assiduous in her attention to her parents2 but her appearance and her manners soon proved that her affections were entangled1 and that nothing but time and the tenderest treatment on their part could disengage them4 ,she became low and dejected--careless of her person--unwilling to mingle in any company--the healthful bloom of her countenance passed away1 succeeded by the sickly and pallid hue2 she seldom took part in conversation1 and endeavoured to avoid all intercourse with the other members of the family4 ,at length her mother became much alarmed1 and said it was her opinion1 that unless they consented to a renewal of the intimacy with the ,ormes1 they must prepare to follow their daughter to the grave4 ,i never can give my consent to the connection1 said ,mr4 ,holmes2 and would rather follow her to the grave than see her united to such a person4 ,captain ,orme is a man who has squandered his fortune2 destroyed the strength of his constitution by dissolute habits2 is involved in debt by his extravagance2 and would sacrifice the happiness1 and even the life of ,emma1 with as little remorse as he now feels for his past crimes4 ,he is bad1 but his parents1 if possible1 are worse2 for they have not only given the sanction of their approbation to his conduct1 but attempted to corrupt our child1 and thus ruin our domestic happiness4 ,the conduct of a female1 who accepts the addresses of a gentleman without consulting her parents1 or her guardians1 is deserving of censure2 but when she is beguiled into the measure by the entreaties and persuasion of others1 and especially those who have children or wards of their own1 the voice of censure should reserve its severest expressions of reprobation for her tempters and seducers4 ,their delinquency1 it is true1 does not cancel hers1 but it offers some slight degree of extenuation4 ,what evils often result from that system of manoeuvring1 which is so much tolerated1 nay1 even applauded1 in society6 ,these match-makers and busy-bodies--these common nuisances and pests--who trample on all the sacred principles of honour and of friendship1 and display such indifference when detected--ought to be excluded from every family which wishes to preserve the honour and happiness of its female members4 ,nor ought we to hold in less detestation and abhorrence1 the conduct of those who allow our children to hold secret and forbidden intercourse with each other at their houses1 or consent to become the agents through whom a correspondence is carried on4 ,such persons may express their tender sympathy for the young people who are not permitted to meet openly and in the face of day1 and may pass some heavy censures on the cruelty of their parents2 but can they1 on reflection1 approve of their own doings1 and think themselves entitled to respect8 ,impossible6 ,they are acting a part over which they wish the veil of secrecy to be thrown2 and1 often sacrificing on the same altar the virtue and happiness of the child1 with the peace and honour of the parent1 can offer no other apology for their conduct1 than that they did not mean any harm4 ,mr4 ,holmes saw1 with great anxiety1 the declining health of his beloved ,emma2 and on surprising her1 in tears1 one morning as he entered her room1 he expressed his fears that she was unhappy4 ,yes1 my father1 ,i am unhappy2 and ,i believe that ,i shall never see another happy day in this unhappy world4 ,but ,i understood1 when ,i spoke to you on the subject1 that it was your determination to renounce all further thoughts of ,captain ,orme4 ,yes1 ,i said ,i would return his letters1 and never suffer myself to be again beguiled from the path of duty2 but ,i cannot subdue my feelings4 ,i think if you knew him you would not object4 ,my dear girl1 ,i have strong objections to his profession1 which is not favourable to the cultivation of those domestic virtues on which the happiness of a wife depends4 ,but1 ,papa1 he is one of the most attentive and amiable of men2 and would1 ,i have no doubt1 make me happy4 ,it is very rarely1 indeed1 that a rake ever makes a good husband4 ,a rake6 ,papa2 you are misinformed4 ,ah1 my child1 you are not aware of the deception which has been practised on you1 by those you once thought1 and perhaps still think1 your friends4 ,i have made the most minute inquiry respecting his habits1 his property1 and his character2 and ,i can assure you1 on evidence the most decisive1 that he is dissolute in his habits--impoverished in his fortune--and his general character is the very reverse of what you imagine4 ,o ,papa6 ,i think you have been deceived4 ,he has his mother's fortune1 which is very handsome4 ,i have seen the original deeds which secured it to him4 ,he had his mother's fortune1 my dear1 but he squandered it away before he came of age2 and when it was actually transferred to him1 it was not sufficient to pay all his debts4 ,are you sure1 ,papa1 that you are not misinformed8 ,perfectly sure1 my dear ,emma4 ,and may ,i be permitted to ask1 how you gained this information1 which is so contrary to every statement ,i have received2 and which1 if true1 must change my opinion of him8 ,i gained it1 in the first instance1 through the medium of your brothers2 but as ,i was unwilling to believe such an unfavourable account1 even on their testimony1 ,i obtained a personal interview with several of his creditors1 who gave me ocular proof of the correctness of their statements4 ,indeed1 one of them arrested him last week1 for the sum of twenty pounds1 which had been due more than a year and a half2 and others have been induced to wait a few months longer1 from the representations of the ,colonel1 who has told them that his son is just on the eve of marrying a wealthy citizen's daughter1 when every claim shall be settled4 ,impossible6 ,such treachery cannot dwell in the human bosom6 ,it is true1 my child4 ,i am forced to believe it1 ,papa1 and yet ,i cannot4 ,perhaps it is only a temporary embarrassment1 arising from some act of generosity1 or some species of fraud1 that has been practised on him4 ,and you know1 ,papa1 a gentleman who is reduced to poverty1 may rise again in society2 and gaining wisdom by his experience1 he may become more careful4 ,yes1 my dear1 if he be a man of probity and virtue2 but if not1 he will never rise4 ,and is not ,charles ,orme a man of probity and virtue8 ,i am sorry to say he is not4 ,he may appear such in your presence1 and he may be described as such by his own family1 but when his mode of life is inquired into1 he will be found frequenting places and societies which a virtuous man would shun as offensive to his taste1 and destructive of his honour4 ,when a forbidden passion has once gained an ascendency over the mind of a female1 it very often throws such a spell around her1 that she becomes either unable or unwilling to see the inevitable ruin that lies before her2 and though she will listen to the advice of her friends with apparent interest1 and sometimes profess to adopt it1 under a full conviction that it is such as she ought to follow1 yet as soon as she comes into contact with the fatal object on which her affections are irrecoverably placed1 she feels an influence which destroys all her wise resolves1 and hurries her to her doom4 ,thus it was with the infatuated ,emma1 who1 after struggling with her affections for many months1 and endeavouring to recover that mental peace which she formerly enjoyed1 rashly determined to follow the impulse of her will1 though her ruin should be the inevitable consequence4 ,the family had accepted an invitation to spend a few days with an intimate friend1 who resided near ,tunbridge ,wells1 but as ,emma did not wish to go into company at present1 she was excused1 and took leave of her parents and sisters with the tenderest expressions of attachment1 and said she hoped they would enjoy the visit4 ,on their return they were informed by the housekeeper that ,miss ,emma had not been home since the day after they left1 but had requested her to present the following letter to her father as soon as she saw him3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,father1--,before you receive this1 ,i shall have committed an act which will plunge you and every one of our family into the greatest distress2 but ,i have been compelled to it by dire necessity4 ,i could not conquer my passion for ,captain ,orme1 and am therefore now his wife4 ,had ,i not consented1 my life would have fallen a sacrifice to my feelings2 and as ,i am not prepared to die1 ,i judged it prudent to perpetuate a life1 with some chance for happiness1 rather than lose it1 with a certain prospect of misery4 ,i hope you and my dear mother will forgive me2 and if you cannot suffer me to visit you1 ,i hope you will pray for me4 ,my present home is at the ,colonel's1 and though ,i do not expect to find it such a one as that which ,i have left1 yet ,i trust it will not be without its comforts4 ,with every affectionate regard to you1 my dear ,mamma1 and sisters1 and brothers1 ,i am your undutiful1 yet much attached1 ,,emma4 ,a ,,sequel ,,to ,,the ,,foregoing4 ,the distress into which the ,holmes' family were plunged1 on hearing the contents of the letter just referred to1 exceeds all description2 and though1 during the first ebullition of their grief1 they gave utterance to heavy censures and bitter reproaches1 yet1 on cooler reflection1 they felt more disposed to pity than blame the poor deluded ,emma4 ,a deceived heart1 said her father1 hath led her astray1 and she needs not the vial of our displeasure to fill up the bitter cup which she has to drink4 ,we1 as a family1 have had1 he continued1 a larger proportion of happiness for a long series of years than has fallen to the lot of most2 and if1 in the decline of life1 it should please an all-wise ,providence to cast over us the clouds of sorrow1 we must not repine1 but rather bow in submission to his righteous will1 and pray for wisdom and for grace1 to guide and support us1 when walking through the darkness by which we are now surrounded4 ,but1 said ,mrs4 ,holmes1 this is an evil which ,i did not expect4 ,i thought she had too much regard for her own honour1 and too much respect for our feelings1 to steal away from us in such a clandestine manner1 as though her home were a prison1 and her parents tyrants4 ,she deserves all she may suffer2 and if she has not become as callous as a rock1 must endure a martyrdom of anguish4 ,yes1 my dear1 but she is still our child2 and though she has torn herself away from us1 we must not abandon her4 ,abandon her6 no1 impossible6 ,i can never forget that ,i gave her birth2 that ,i watched over her in infancy and childhood2 and that she was the pride of my heart in my old age4 ,it is the strength of my affection that gives me such intense pain when ,i think of her ungrateful conduct4 ,her clothes1 c41 were carefully packed up1 and sent to ,colonel ,orme's1 according to her own request1 accompanied by the following letter1 which inclosed a draft on her father's banker for #ej3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,emma1--,i shall not attempt to describe our consternation when on returning home we received your letter1 which informed us of the step you have taken4 ,to reproach you1 now the deed is done1 will not repair the evil1 nor will it afford any alleviation to our distress4 ,we hope you may be happy1 and may meet that kindness from your new connections1 which you1 no doubt1 have anticipated2 but which we do not expect4 ,i have inclosed a draft for your own use1 as a token of my affection1 and assure you that you will always meet with a welcome reception at the ,elms1 when you choose to visit us2 but you must come alone4 ,as you are now an inmate in a family which makes no profession of religion1 ,i fear you will be exposed to temptations1 which will efface every devout impression you have received2 and you may be induced to treat with indifference1 if not with contempt1 the faith in which you have been educated4 ,remember1 my dear child1 that the fashion of this world is passing away1 and that in a few years you will have to stand before the judgment seat of ,christ1 and if1 in that solemn and awful moment1 you should be separated from us1 by the impassable gulf1 with what feelings will you await your sentence6 ,we will pray for you2 but our prayers will be useless unless you likewise pray1 and repent1 and believe the gospel4--,i remain your affectionate father1 ,h4 ,,holmes4 ,her husband took this draft to the bank and got it cashed1 but he kept the money2 and when his wife ventured to ask him for it1 he requested her to apply to her father for more4 ,this she refused to do1 which drew from him the first unkind expression she had heard him utter4 ,as the news of his marriage spread abroad1 his creditors became very clamorous for the settlement of their accounts2 and though by dexterous manoeuvring1 he contrived to keep them from adopting any violent measures1 yet he felt conscious that the crisis was fast approaching1 unless ,mr4 ,holmes could be persuaded to assist him4 ,he made a contrite apology to his wife for the unguarded language he had used--pledged his honour never more to wound her feelings--and assured her that nothing but dire necessity had induced him to appropriate the money to his own use1 which was designed exclusively for hers4 ,she accepted the apology1 but felt startled by his allusion to pecuniary embarrassment1 though she felt the subject to be too delicate to notice4 ,her husband's family treated her with the utmost degree of respect and affection1 and every one strove to promote her happiness4 ,captain ,orme was unremitting in his attentions1 studied her gratification in all his arrangements1 and conducted himself with so much propriety1 that she flattered herself with the prospect of enjoying a large portion of conjugal felicity4 ,six months had now passed away without any fresh interruption to her happiness1 when she began to perceive a fixed gloom on the countenance of her husband1 who absented himself more frequently1 and for a longer space of time than he had been accustomed to do2 and she heard some ambiguous expressions from her father and mother-in-law1 which she knew not how to explain2 nor would her high spirit suffer her to ask an explanation4 ,at length1 one day the ,colonel informed her that some application must be made to her father for a settlement1 as his son's pay was not equal to the expenses of the family which he was now likely to have4 ,captain ,orme informed me1 ,sir1 when he solicited me to leave my father's house to become his wife1 and you assured me that his statement was correct1 that his fortune was large1 and that it was quite immaterial to him whether my father gave me a fortune or left me penniless4 ,i deny it1 ,madam1 and now tell you that your husband is in embarrassed circumstances1 and it is useless to conceal the fact any longer4 ,something must be done1 or you are both ruined4 ,no gentleman1 ,sir1 ever ventured to suspect the truth of my testimony1 and ,i am sorry that ,i ever gave you an opportunity to do it4 ,well1 well1 ,i beg your pardon for the abruptness of my reply4 ,perhaps ,i did say that his statement was correct2 but to be frank1 he is in difficulties1 and we must endeavour to get him out as well as we can2 and no one has so much at stake in this business as yourself4 ,if his difficulties have come upon him since our marriage ,i will submit to any privation1 and will take upon myself any task to extricate him2 but if they existed before1 ,i do not know that it is in my power to forgive an act of deception so cruel and unjust as that which you have all practised upon me4 ,you talk1 said the ,colonel1 like one who lived before the fall1 in a state of paradisiacal innocence1 rather than like one who has seen the world as it is4 ,the world is governed by deception2 in church1 in state1 in all the departments of social life2 and if you have been deceived by any statements which might have been given to allure you to the altar1 we have all been deceived since your return from it4 ,not by me1 ,sir4 ,no1 ,madam1 but by your father4 ,my father6 no6 impossible6 ,as he is too humane to reproach1 he is too sincere to deceive4 ,why1 we all expected1 when the marriage was over1 that he would provide handsomely for you4 ,i have no doubt that he will1 ultimately1 but ,i never gave you any reason to expect it4 ,but we did expect it1 and ,i think we have a right to expect it4 ,can he suppose that my son is to meet all the expenses which you and your family may bring upon him1 without receiving some assistance6 ,if he do1 he is deceived1 and will entail on you and himself disgrace and misery4 ,but you know1 ,colonel1 said ,mrs4 ,orme1 it is no use to wound the feelings of dear ,emma so much4 ,if ,charles is in trouble1 ,i know she will do what she can to assist him1 without being very particular respecting the cause of his difficulties2 and ,i would propose1 without any farther remarks on this very painful question1 that she write to her father on the subject1 or give her consent for you to write4 ,what are his difficulties8 inquired ,emma4 ,o dear1 only a small account which he is obliged to pay immediately4 ,and cannot he pay a small account8 ,why1 my dear1 he has had to settle several lately1 which has taken from him all his ready money4 ,how much is this small account8 ,o1 only about #bjj4 ,and do you consider this a trifling sum to owe one tradesman8 ,certainly1 my dear1 for a gentleman of his profession4 ,well1 said ,emma1 ,i will have some conversation with ,charles on the subject when he returns2 and we will decide on the adoption of some plan4 ,why1 my dear1 ,i am sorry to inform you1 that he is at present detained by the formalities of the law4 ,detained by the formalities of the law6 ,i do not understand you4 ,perhaps not2 but he cannot return home till the money is paid or some security is given that it shall be paid4 ,then1 where is he8 ,why1 my dear1 it will afford you no pleasure if ,i tell you4 ,you had better not press the question4 ,but ,i must press the question2 and ,i must request to know where he is4 ,well1 my dear1 since you must have it1 the gentleman who waited on him for the payment of the money1 has very kindly given him permission to stay in his house till it is paid4 ,what6 is he in prison8 ,no1 not exactly in prison2 only the formalities of the law require that he should remain with the gentleman till the money is paid4 ,can ,i see him8 ,why1 you had better not4 ,you had better write to your father on the business1 or let the ,colonel write4 ,then let the ,colonel write1 for ,i can never consent to tell such a tale to my father1 after having treated his remonstrances with so much contempt2 and violating my most solemn pledge1 that ,i would never suffer myself to be beguiled again from the path of duty4 ,the ,colonel wrote to ,mr4 ,holmes1 requesting that he would give his daughter some portion of her fortune2 delicately hinting at the temporary embarrassments of her husband2 soliciting1 at the same time1 the honour of an interview1 when he had no doubt1 but some expedient could be devised to bring about a friendly reconciliation1 by which the happiness of both families might be placed on a substantial basis4 ,to this letter ,mr4 ,holmes replied1 that he felt it his duty to make every provision in his power for the personal comfort of his daughter2 but no circumstances should induce him to pay the enormous debts which he knew her husband had contracted by a course of extravagant profligacy2 and while he was willing to admit her under his roof1 it was not his intention ever to form the most distant intimacy with a family who had acted with such cruel duplicity towards his child1 and sacrificed her happiness for life4 ,on the receipt of this letter1 the ,ormes were thrown into the greatest degree of perplexity2 and though they did not read it to ,emma1 because it contained some severe reflections on their conduct1 yet they judged it expedient to inform her1 that ,mr4 ,holmes refused to comply with their request4 ,you must now1 my dear1 apply for some cash1 said ,mrs4 ,orme1 as you will soon want many conveniences1 which it will not be in ,charles's power to procure1 and ,i would advise you to press for a generous remittance4 ,this application1 however1 was rendered unnecessary1 as a few days afterwards1 she received a letter from her father1 inclosing a draft for #cj for her own use1 and informing her1 that if she preferred being confined at the ,elms1 everything was ready for her reception4 ,she now began to see the extreme delicacy of her situation1 and to feel the direful consequences of her own imprudence2 but she had no friend in whom she could confide or who could sympathize with her misfortunes4 ,her mind was in a state of perpetual anxiety1 often deeply wounded by the neglect1 or unkind looks and expressions of those who once professed the utmost degree of affection--with the near prospect1 too1 of becoming a mother1 without a home1 or any provision for herself or child1 except by returning to her father's house--a step which she contemplated at present with extreme reluctance4 ,after an absence of several days1 ,captain ,orme returned home in high spirits1 informing his wife that he had had an interview with her father1 who very generously forgave him1 and drew a check on his banker for #cjj4 ,now1 said the ,captain1 ,i'll give you a proof of my honour4 ,i'll take you to the bank1 you shall receive the cash1 and pay yourself the #ej1 which necessity compelled me to appropriate to my own use4 ,no1 ,charles1 replied his wife1 if my father has forgiven you1 so will ,i2 and still indulge the hope1 that our union1 which has been embittered with grief1 may yet prove a source of mutual felicity4 ,i request that no further allusion be made to the money4 ,indeed1 ,i cannot be happy unless you allow me to redeem my honour1 which stands pledged to you for it4 ,you must consent to take it1 and ,i'll accompany you to the bank4 ,you will wound me if you make another objection4 ,she entertained no doubt of the truth of his statement2 and they accordingly drove to town together the following morning4 ,just as they were going into the bank1 he said1 ,there's a friend whom ,i have been anxious to see some months2 you will step in and get the cash1 and after ,i have seen him1 ,i will return and meet you4 ,as she was well known to one of the partners in the banking firm1 who had often visited at the ,elms1 the check was honoured without much inspection2 and having the money1 she gave her husband #bej1 and then begged his acceptance of the #ej1 as an expression of her attachment4 ,with this sum he paid the debt for which he was arrested2 and prevented another arrest which he had been daily expecting4 ,things now wore a brighter aspect1 and the unsuspecting ,emma was induced to decline accepting her father's offer2 choosing to be confined at the ,colonel's1 where she could enjoy the society of her husband1 without giving any trouble to the members of her own family4 ,though often pressed to pay a visit to the ,elms1 she had always deferred doing so2 but she now proposed a visit to express the pleasure she felt in prospect of a reconciliation between the two families4 ,on mentioning this1 however1 to her husband1 he urged her not to do it till after her confinement1 saying1 ,the heir will be our advocate1 and heal the breach4 ,the eventful time drew near1 and everything necessary for the occasion had been sent1 with a pressing invitation to spend a few weeks at home1 as soon as she was capable of doing so4 ,i am happy to inform you1 said her husband1 a few weeks after the occurrences above narrated1 that ,i have had another interview with your father2 after expressing his good wishes for your welfare1 and requesting that ,i would accompany you to the ,elms after your convalescence1 he very generously said1 that as our expenses just now must be very heavy1 and he wished you to have the best professional advice1 and every comfort that money could procure1 he would beg my acceptance of this check for #djj4 ,now1 my dear ,emma1 we will go to town in the morning1 and you shall get the cash1 and do what you like with it4 ,this was accordingly done in the course of the following day4 ,at night the family retired to rest as usual2 but about midnight they were disturbed1 and ere day-break the birth of a fine boy was announced4 ,the news was immediately despatched to the ,elms1 with a particular request from ,mrs4 ,charles ,orme1 that her sister ,louisa would come to see her4 ,the interview was interesting and affecting2 for though the two sisters bore no resemblance to each other in taste or in disposition1 yet their attachment was mutual2 and increased on this occasion by the influence of misfortune and sorrow4 ,miss ,holmes remained at ,redhill nearly three weeks2 and on her return1 when detailing the incidents of her visit1 she referred to her father's generosity to ,captain ,orme4 ,indeed1 my dear1 said ,mr4 ,holmes1 ,i have done nothing which has not been previously agreed upon by us4 ,why1 father1 it is very good in you to speak so of your generosity to ,captain ,orme4 ,we were rather surprised1 however1 at your not even mentioning to us that you had seen him4 ,i have not seen ,captain ,orme since the day of his marriage1 and ,i am at a loss to conceive to what acts of generosity you refer4 ,not seen him1 ,papa6 why1 have you not given him two drafts on your banker1 for a considerable amount8 ,i never did anything of the kind6 ,you must be dreaming1 ,louisa4 ,emma informed me that you had2 and that she went1 at her husband's urgent request1 and got them cashed4 ,then he has forged my check2 and again imposed on the credulity of our dear child4 ,he immediately rode off to his banker's1 and found forged checks to the amount of #gjj4 ,this discovery involved the family in great distress2 but they resolved not to take any steps in the business till they had seen ,emma1 which they expected to do in the course of a few days4 ,on the morning she left for the ,elms1 ,captain ,orme requested that she would make no allusion to her father's generosity1 as he did not wish it to be known4 ,as she had already1 however1 mentioned the circumstance to ,louisa1 the request came too late1 and ,mr4 ,holmes1 as above-mentioned1 had now become aware of the villainy of his son-in-law4 ,his resolve to question ,emma on the subject1 after her arrival1 was abandoned1 on witnessing the joy which she displayed on again meeting with her parents and sisters4 ,the family all agreed that it would be cruelty to broach the matter at present1 and that it had better be deferred to some more fitting opportunity4 ,mrs4 ,orme had been at home a month1 and was preparing to return to ,redhill1 when her father took an opportunity of asking her who it was she saw at the bank1 how often she had been there1 what sums of money she had received1 and what circumstances induced her to go4 ,to all these questions she replied in very direct terms1 and when she had finished1 expressed her gratitude to her father for his kindness1 and hoped that now he would consent to be reconciled to her husband4 ,your husband1 my child1 has been pursuing one uniform plan of deception1 from the time he first saw you to the present hour2 and though this last instance of his duplicity is not the most fatal to your happiness1 it is certainly the most hazardous for his own4 ,i gave him no drafts1 nor have ,i seen him since your marriage4 ,not seen him1 father6 ,no4 ,nor given him any checks6 ,never4 ,how in the world did he get them then8 ,he has forged my name1 ,emma1 and made you the innocent agent in his villainy4 ,and is it possible6 ,am ,i the wife of such a man6 ,such a man is your husband2 and if the law now take its course1 he will be liable to transportation for life4 ,o6 father1 spare ,charles4 ,have mercy on your poor ,emma2 though he were the most wicked man alive1 he is still my husband4 ,i shall refrain from prosecuting him2 but it will be necessary to put a stop to such a system of fraud4 ,o6 my father1 what will now become of me and my babe6 ,you have left your home once1 my child1 without my consent1 but ,i hope you will not leave it again4 ,never1 father6 if you will permit me to remain1 though ,i fear my presence will be a source of perpetual anxiety4 ,mr4 ,holmes1 after deliberating on the matter1 sent the following letter to ,captain ,orme1 unsealed1 in an envelope1 addressed to the ,colonel3-- ,,sir1--,i have seen the forged checks which you got cashed at my banker's2 and on inquiry find that you induced my daughter to present them1 by telling her that ,i had given them to you1 as a token of my reconciliation4 ,i presume you are aware of the consequences to which you have subjected yourself2 though you may suppose that a regard for my daughter's feelings1 and the reputation of her child1 will induce me to forego a prosecution4 ,i have1 however1 to warn you against the repetition of such a base and hazardous course1 for there are bounds which the tenderest humanity will not suffer to be passed with impunity4 ,i should hope1 for the honour of your father's character1 that he was ignorant of the crime which you have committed2 but ,i fear you are not the only person that is involved in the guilt of its commission4 ,to this letter he received the following reply the next day3-- ,,sir1--,you say you have detected my fraud1 and express your fear that ,i am not the only person that is involved in the guilt of it4 ,very true1 ,sir4 ,your own daughter suggested to me this mode of getting at some portion of her fortune--procured the blank checks--and went herself and got them cashed2 and now you are at liberty to let the law take its course1 if you please4 ,she is unfortunately my wife2 and as she is once more under your roof1 ,i hope she will remain there till ,i send for her1 which will not be till you are induced to give her a fortune equal to my rank1 as ,i was fully entitled to expect on marrying her4 ,my father1 who feels too indignant at your base insinuation to reply to it1 begs me to say1 that he does not choose to admit your daughter into his house again4 ,you will1 therefore1 permit me to return your own compliment1 by saying1 that all intimacy between our families has ceased1 and you may be assured1 that ,i regret that any intimacy was ever formed4--,your obedient servant1 ,,charles ,,orme4 ,this letter confirmed the suspicions which had been1 for a long time1 excited in the breast of ,mrs4 ,charles ,orme2 and though the open avowal of her husband's baseness produced a painful impression1 yet it decided the course which necessity compelled her to adopt2 and she could not forbear sending him the subjoined letter3-- ,,my ,,husband1--,i cannot1 in justice to myself1 remain silent1 after reading your letter to my father--a letter which is a very natural sequel to your perfidious conduct4 ,that you should feel at liberty to charge upon me the baseness of suggesting the crime of which you have been guilty1 is more than ,i could have imagined2 but it has relieved me from that bitter regret which ,i should otherwise feel in being separated from you for life4 ,you have betrayed me--you have reproached me--you have insulted me--but this1 it appears1 is not enough3 you now try to disgrace me4 ,have you lost all sense of honour8 ,does no feeling of generous sensibility move in your breast8 ,are you become an alien from every virtuous principle8 and do you wish1 if possible1 to sink me into contempt1 after having abandoned me and your child8 ,i feel too indignant to throw back the reproaches which you have cast on me4 ,i have a home1 and a peaceful one1 and you may rely upon it1 that no false professions of attachment shall ever again induce me to leave it4 ,i am unable to judge of your state of mind2 but if you have the slightest degree of remorse left1 conscience must reproach you bitterly4--,your much injured ,,emma4 ,i shall now anticipate my narrative a little1 and conclude the history of ,captain ,orme4 ,soon after sending the preceding letter to ,mr4 ,holmes1 he obtained a military appointment in the ,east ,indies1 through the influence of ,lord ----2 and immediately embarked1 without making any communication to his wife1 or expressing any wish to see his infant child4 ,she knew not the place of his destination for nearly two years after he had left his native country1 when she received a letter from him4 ,on opening the letter she very naturally expected to find some relentings for his past unkindness1 and some promises of future amendment1 but she was disappointed4 ,the influence of time1 which generally softens down the asperities of temper1 and brings about a cordial reconciliation between the most hostile parties1 had only increased the malevolence of his disposition2 and as though he had not already inflicted a wound sufficiently deep1 he now proceeded to the most heartless and unmanly abuse4 ,he accused her of infidelity2 reproached her for her attachment to her own family1 whom he reviled in the lowest terms2 and concluded by saying1 that she might now put on her weeds1 as it was not his intention of ever returning to claim her as his wife1 or even to acknowledge as his son the child she had borne4 ,as she still cherished an attachment for him1 notwithstanding his cruel treatment1 and had indulged the forlorn hope of seeing him reclaimed from the paths of evil1 the contents of this letter produced at first a deep melancholy2 but as she had now begun to derive consolation from a source of happiness which is concealed from the eye of the gay and the dissipated1 she soon regained her composure1 though she ceased not to pray for her erring husband4 ,at length the report of his death reached her through the medium of a friend4 ,she wept when she heard of his decease1 and expressed a strong anxiety to know the cause of it4 ,many inquiries were made1 but no information could be obtained1 till she received a letter from a military officer who had known him in the ,east4 ,this gentleman spoke in high terms of his courage1 and of the important services which he had rendered to the government of ,india2 expressing1 at the same time1 his regret that he fell a victim1 not to the sword1 but to his habits of intemperance1 which became so inveterate1 that neither reason nor authority could subdue them4 ,thus terminated a union planned by treachery1 which a perverse will led ,emma ,holmes to contract1 but which she lived to regret with bitter and unavailing sorrow4 ,her husband's cruelty1 in first abandoning his wife and child1 without bidding them adieu1 and then insulting her by his base accusations1 was not more flagrant and unjust than his perfidy in first inducing her to become his wife4 ,though pity could not withhold the sympathy which her sufferings excited1 yet every impartial spectator was compelled to acknowledge that she had brought them on herself by her own imprudence4 ,and though such instances of cruelty and treachery are frequently occurring in the history of human life1 and though they are held up by the moralist as beacons to warn the incautious female of the danger to which she is exposed1 yet how often1 alas6 do we see such warnings disregarded4 ,women are too often smitten by external appearances1 and too easily imposed upon by the artful tales of the perfidious and the crafty1 to listen to the advice of their best friends4 ,thus braving the opposition of their parents1 they plunge themselves into a state of misery1 without having1 as a melancholy alleviation to their anguish1 the solitary consolation that they were not apprized of their danger4 ,i have seen1 in my passage through life1 many fine characters wrecked on this fatal rock1 and wish to guard the thoughtless and inexperienced from a similar catastrophe1 and though ,i cannot suppose that ,i shall be able to change the purpose1 when it is once formed1 yet ,i do not despair of exciting some degree of precaution in the unfettered and uncorrupted mind4 ,as that union1 which is ordained to be the source of the purest felicity1 or of the bitterest anguish1 and which nothing but death or guilt can dissolve1 is the most important that can be formed1 no one ought to propose it1 or consent to it1 till after the most mature deliberation4 ,in some instances it has been known that short courtships have led to happy marriages2 but the instances are comparatively few4 ,two persons accidentally meet--strangers to each other--an offer of marriage is made1 and immediately accepted2 a few weeks of intercourse1 or of correspondence elapse1 and they are united for life4 ,can such a hasty union1 which has taken place while the parties have been almost entirely ignorant of each other1 be expected to yield much domestic felicity8 ,it may1 but the chances are against it2 as the history of social life demonstrates this fact1 that domestic happiness is less dependent on the agreeableness of each other's persons1 than on the harmony of each other's disposition2 and though a magic charm often renders us blind to the defects of the beloved object1 this blissful dream is soon dissipated when the wedded pair come to seek their happiness in the amiability of each other's tempers1 and the goodness of each other's principles4 ,and considering the immense importance of this correspondence in mental taste1 tendencies1 and inclinations1 as a source of permanent domestic happiness1 and the amazing diversity of tempers and dispositions which is known to prevail amongst human beings1 will a wise man1 or will a prudent female1 venture to risk their felicity for life by a sudden and precipitate union8 ,what6 shall we deem it necessary to institute a severe inquiry respecting the temper1 and disposition1 and principles of the servants we take into our dwellings1 and whom we may dismiss at our pleasure2 and think that no such inquiry is necessary in relation to the person to whom we are to be united for life--who is to be our comfort or our torment1 the means of elevating us to honour or sinking us into contempt6 ,would this be an act of wisdom or of discretion8 ,and is it not to be regretted that the period of courtship1 which is intended to give to the parties an opportunity of judging of their fitness for each other1 is usually the period in which the greatest degree of duplicity prevails8 ,it may be justly denominated the intermediate state between the two conditions in human life1 over which the evil spirit of deception presides--investing the character with imaginary charms--softening down rugged and uncouth tempers into the smoothness of the most subduing tenderness--curbing restless and ungovernable passions with the restraints of a crafty policy--and giving such a fascination to external graces1 that they are received as substitutes for the most solid and substantial virtues4 ,this is the fatal period1 when suspicion is usually asleep2 when a slowness of heart to believe the rumours of report becomes proverbial2 and it is not till the parties emerge from this delusion1 to the realities of married life1 and resume their real character1 that they discover the deception they have been practising on each other4 ,then the work of mutual recrimination and reproach commences4 ,then it is their eyes are opened to see their folly and their danger1 but their repentance1 like that of ,esau's1 comes too late to repair the evil which they have brought upon themselves4 ,as the period of courtship is the most dangerous in the history of life1 because the most deceptive1 those who wish to enjoy a state of permanent domestic happiness1 cannot1 at this period1 be too observant of each other's tempers and dispositions1 or too inquisitive respecting each other's connections and manners4 ,if they now discover a dissonance in any of these particulars1 they would act a wiser part to separate by mutual consent1 than to form a union which will inevitably become a fruitful source of misery1 and may terminate in disgrace1 if not in ruin4 ,some severe moralists contend1 that when an offer of marriage has been given and accepted1 no circumstances will justify either party in withdrawing from their pledge1 but that it ought to be held as sacred and as obligatory as the marriage vow4 ,though the writer would not hazard an opinion which would tend to sanction a wanton inconstancy1 yet he claims the privilege of differing from such casuists4 ,for what purpose has the unanimous consent of mankind required some period of time to elapse1 after the offer has been made1 before it is formally1 and for life decided8 ,is it not that the contracting parties may have an opportunity of judging of their relative fitness for each other8 ,if not1 they may pass at once to the nuptial altar1 after mutually consenting to their union2 but if it be1 they are invested with a moral right to revise their decision1 when fresh discoveries of character are made1 which change their opinions1 and diminish1 if not alienate their affections4 ,suppose a gentleman makes a lady an offer1 and she accepts it1 under a firm conviction that he is a man of honour1 of integrity1 of virtue1 and of prudence1 whose disposition is amiable1 whose circumstances are respectable1 and who is capable of maintaining her in the rank in which she has been accustomed to move4 ,suppose that on a subsequent inquiry1 she finds out that these sterling qualities do not adorn his character--that he is violent in his passions--and that his means to support a family are not adequate to its demands4 ,if she is now convinced that by consummating the union1 her happiness for life will be sacrificed1 ought she to be compelled to do so8 ,she may be censured for giving her consent too hastily2 but is a consent given under false impressions1 and while in a state of total or partial ignorance1 to be binding1 when she discovers the delusion which has been practised on her1 and sees nothing but misery and wretchedness before her8 ,i think it is not4 ,if ,emma ,holmes1 when she returned the letters and presents to ,captain ,orme1 had never more consented to see him1 would any wise or prudent person have passed a sentence of condemnation on her conduct8 ,no6 ,why not8 ,because she had given her consent under false impressions of his character2 but after her marriage1 though that took place under the same false impressions1 she was bound by the laws of ,god and man to remain his wife4 ,but as there is always some risk of reputation1 and sometimes some pecuniary risk1 in breaking off an engagement which has been formed1 it should not be done hastily1 nor for trifling reasons4 ,though the mutual pledge is less binding than the nuptial vow1 yet if it be treated with levity and contempt1 society will resent the insult which is offered to its sense of delicacy and of honour4 ,the faithless and inconstant will be marked out as the objects of its censure and reproaches4 ,and no censures can be too severe1 nor any reproaches be too bitter1 to be directed against the man who gains the affections of a female1 and then abandons her from caprice2 or against that female1 who acts the part of a coquette1 by giving pledges she never intends to redeem1 and exciting expectations she has resolved to disappoint4 ,and this risk ought to operate as a powerful motive to induce the utmost degree of caution when making or when accepting an offer4 ,as the right of overture is claimed and exercised by man1 he is supposed to institute every necessary inquiry before he makes his election1 and to be perfectly satisfied that the female whose friendship and whose affection he courts is capable of promoting his happiness2 and though on a closer intimacy he may discover some shades of imperfection which were not visible when he first knew her1 yet if they are only the ordinary imperfections which belong to the human character1 he would act an unwise1 if not a criminal part1 by making them the ostensible cause of breaking off the connection4 ,we should ever remember1 that the nuptial vow always unites two imperfect beings1 whose mutual imperfections will call for the exercise of mutual candour2 and when pure and ardent love glows in the breast of each1 they will bear with each other's failings1 and strive to promote each other's happiness4 ,it is then1 in the opinion of the writer1 only when some radical defect is discovered in the character--some strong repulsive quality1 or some untoward and ungovernable passion--that the male sex1 who exercise the prerogative of choice1 ought to feel at liberty to disengage themselves1 unless the female give her unqualified approbation4 ,in that case the connection may be dissolved at any time1 as it cannot be supposed that a marriage between two persons who are willing to separate for life can be productive of happiness4 ,but without acting capriciously1 or presuming to encroach on the principle of equity1 ,i should be disposed to concede to the female sex a greater degree of liberty on this point4 ,when an offer is made to a lady1 she may feel no reluctance to it--the person who makes it may be agreeable to her1 and1 by the ardour of solicitation1 she may be induced to yield assent to the proposed union4 ,she may do this before her modesty allows her to make those inquiries respecting temper1 disposition1 principles1 and resources1 which the gentleman is supposed to have made before he ventured to disclose his wishes4 ,she may have been pressed to a compliance before she acquired that specific information which would justify and sanction it2 and which1 if advantage had not been taken of her amiable weakness1 she would have withheld till she had obtained it4 ,and perhaps1 in addition to this1 she has been induced to conceal the overture from her parents1 or her guardians1 till some convenient season should arrive to make it known--that convenient season being to be determined1 less by the decision of her own mind1 than the mind of her lover4 ,when these circumstances occur in the history of a courtship1 though ,i would not say that the lady is quite as free to reject the offer1 as she was when it was first made1 yet ,i think she is more at liberty to decline it1 than the gentleman who made it4 ,yet she ought not to act capriciously1 nor ought she to sport with the feelings of the person to whom she has given her promise2 but slighter reasons for breaking off the connection will justify her in doing so1 than those which will justify him4 ,she may discover no radical defect in his character1 yet she may perceive the flaw unseemly--she may behold no predominating principle of evil1 yet she may see its corrupting influence--she may feel no strong repulsive qualities1 yet her affections may die off1 while she knows not the cause--she may witness no sallies of an ungovernable passion1 yet she may strongly suspect the amiability of his temper--she may not be able to find out any fixed habits of inconsistency1 or positive vice1 and yet she may be convinced that her happiness would be sacrificed for life if she consented to the proposed union4 ,a question now arises in which both parties are deeply interested4 ,ought a female to marry when she feels conscious that she cannot be happy with the person who wishes her to become his wife8 or would it be an act of wisdom1 or prudence1 or of piety1 in a man to drag a victim to the altar1 who feels an abhorrence1 not to the ceremony1 but to its appalling consequences8 ,no4 ,as mutual love is the only substantial basis of the union1 where that does not exist1 the union ought not to be consummated2 and though some evils generally result from a dissolution of the mutual pledge1 yet they are fewer and less awful and destructive than those which follow a marriage without affection--or when the affection of one has to struggle against the cool indifference or positive dislike of the other4 ,and if circumstances should render it imperatively necessary that either party should break off the connection1 this should be done in the most delicate and honourable manner4 ,the reasons in most cases should be expressly and unequivocally stated2 all vacillation should be conscientiously avoided2 no words of reproach or invective should be uttered2 and for their mutual credit they should speak of each other among their friends in terms of respect4 ,but let no female expect that a libertine in principle1 or a rake in practice1 will ever make a kind and attentive husband1 notwithstanding any professions he may make4 ,her charms may for a season operate as a spell on his passions1 and he may1 under their powerful influence1 appear a new creature4 ,the company of the dissolute may be forsaken for the pleasure of her society2 and the habits of vice may be broken off while he is courting the living image of virtue2 but his character will remain the same4 ,he may affect to deplore his past follies1 and he may speak in praise of goodness and of religion1 but1 unless his heart is changed1 he will soon give ocular proof that he is the same man as when he made an open mock of sin1 and publicly contemned righteousness4 ,that some who have been dissolute in their early days have become the ornaments of society1 good husbands1 kind parents1 and faithful friends1 is a fact too generally known to be doubted2 but their reformation has usually preceded their marriage--rarely followed it4 ,they have separated themselves from evil-doers1 and they have learned to do well1 before they have dared to solicit the affections of a virtuous female2 and then having re-established their character1 and fixed their habits of goodness and of religion1 they have lived to repair the injury they have done to their own reputation and to the morals of others1 by walking in a course of exemplary consistency4 ,but there are no females who ought to be so cautious on this subject as the children of pious parents4 ,if they have imbibed the spirit of pure and undefiled religion1 they ought to marry only in the ,lord4 ,no intellectual talents1 no degrees of moral excellence1 and no resources of wealth1 should induce them to a violation of this positive injunction of the law of ,god4 ,it would be1 in addition to an insult offered to ,divine authority1 a suicidal act in regard to personal honour and happiness2 uniform experience proving that the intermarrying of the pious with the unconverted is followed by the most disastrous social and spiritual consequences4 ,and if they are not decidedly pious1 yet if they have been accustomed to habits of religion1 they ought not to calculate on permanent happiness if they consent to marry a person who is an avowed infidel1 or one who cannot distinguish between the form of godliness and its power4 ,for such a marriage will separate the woman from all intimate connection with her pious friends1 and she will thus become to them a source of deep and poignant sorrow4 ,but this1 though an evil which a daughter ought to guard against1 out of respect to the feelings of her parents1 is a minor evil1 when compared with the influence it will have over her own mind4 ,the irreligion of her husband will tolerate none of the customs with which she has been so long familiar--no family prayer--no reading of the ,scripture--no reverential references to ,god--to ,providence1 or to an eternal world--the ,sabbath will be employed as a day of business1 or of indolence1 or of pleasure--or if the husband attend a place of worship1 he will go1 not ,where the violated law speaks out ,its thunders2 and where1 in strains as sweet ,as angels use1 the gospel whispers peace2 but where ,the things that mount the rostrum with a skip1 ,and then skip down again2 pronounce a text1-- ,cry hem2 and reading what they never wrote1 ,just fifteen minutes huddle up their work1 ,and with a well-bred whisper close the scene4 ,can this strange change take place without producing some ill effect8 will she be satisfied and contented8 will conscience never reproach her8 will she have no misgivings8 will the days of her life ----glide softly o'er her head1 ,made up of innocence8 ,will she never institute a comparison between her present home1 and that in which she drew her infant breath1 and spent the years of childhood and of youth8 ,will she never contrast the piety of her father with the irreligion of her husband8--the devotional lessons of her mother with her present course of life8 ,but suppose she should outlive all reverence and respect for the habits of domestic religion1 which she has been accustomed to revere and observe from the days of childhood1 and yield herself to the beguiling fascinations of gaiety and worldliness1 what will be her reflections and feelings in the hours of sickness1 and from whence can she derive consolation and hope when death approaches8 ,ah1 it is then the secrets of her soul will speak out6 it is then that her criminal folly will appear in all its aggravated forms of guilt6 it is then she will revert to her former home1 her earlier associations1 her pristine impressions of religious truth4 ,alas6 she now goes back to these scenes1 not for comfort1 but for torture2 not to gather up the fragments of hope1 but to give a keener point to her desponding fears2 to call back joys that are departed1 and to increase the intensity of her mental anguish1 by contrasting it with the happiness she once enjoyed4 ,yet1 if she discloses what she feels1 she is either ridiculed for her superstitious folly1 or suspected of partial derangement--as no one understands her case4 ,she lingers through the last stages of her life in sorrow and in sadness1 the victim of self-consuming anxieties and grief2 and may die in agonizing apprehension1 if not in absolute despair4 ,,the ,,village ,,chapel4 ,the painful and prolonged excitement occasioned by ,emma's unhappy marriage1 and its disastrous consequences1 so greatly impaired the health of ,mrs4 and ,miss ,holmes1 that a change of air and scene was deemed absolutely necessary4 ,dawlish1 their favourite retreat1 was thought of1 and they were making preparations for their departure thither1 when a letter arrived from ,mr4 ,newell1 ,mr4 ,holmes' son-in-law1 in ,warwickshire1#bf announcing that the new chapel which ,mr4 ,holmes had been the means of rearing near his native place1 was all but completed1 and inviting them to spend some time with him1 and be present on the opening day4 ,this induced them to change their mind4 ,i certainly1 said ,mr4 ,holmes1 ought to go1 to witness the accomplishment of my design4 ,and we1 said his wife and daughter1 should very much like to accompany you2 we may thus reap a spiritual benefit while endeavouring to recruit our bodily health4 #bf ,vol4 ii4 p4 #abi4 ,the village of ,lynnbridge1 ,warwickshire1 near which ,mr4 ,newell resided1 was delightfully situated on the slope of a hill1 commanding an extensive and beautiful prospect4 ,at the foot winded the ,lynn1 much renowned as an excellent trouting stream1 and here crossed by a handsome stone bridge1 over which lay the highroad to ,london4 ,a narrow lane1 richly adorned in summer with dog-roses and other wild flowers1 led to the village above1 which was rather of a straggling description1 without any principal street4 ,the houses were for the most part of a humble order1 few rising to the dignity of two stories1 but all displaying that air of neatness and comfort which so distinguishes our ,english villages above those of any other country4 ,each had a flower garden in front1 very prettily kept2 and the cottages1 which were generally white-washed and thatched1 had their walls often adorned with vines1 ivy1 or honey-suckle4 ,at the extremity of the village1 looking down upon the river1 stood the parish church1 a venerable ,gothic edifice1 with its churchyard1 encircled by a row of ancient yew trees4 ,adjoining the church was the rectory1 a picturesque and comfortable-looking old ,english mansion1 with its pointed gables1 well cultivated garden1 and rather extensive pleasure grounds4 ,shady lanes led in all directions to the surrounding country2 the prospect of which1 as already mentioned1 was of the most charming nature1 comprehending an endless variety of hill and dale1 wood and corn-fields1 and reminding the gazer unconsciously of ,cowper's lines-- ',tis pleasant1 through the loopholes of retreat1 ,to peep at such a world4 ,the population was for the most part agricultural1 but there were some gentlemen's seats in the neighbourhood1 besides a few farm-houses1 and several villas with a few acres of ground attached to each4 ,whether humanity is more depraved in a city than in a village1 still remains an open question2 but ,i have uniformly found that in both1 the old and the young evince the same predilection for what is evil1 and the same antipathies to what is pure2 and if left without any enlightening and regenerating process1 will bear a striking resemblance to each other in the great outlines of their moral character4 ,observation proves1 ,i think1 that the city1 by its more varied attractions1 facilitates the broader and more marked development of the essential depravity of our common nature4 ,yet in the inhabitants of a village we not unfrequently discover appalling ignorance1 with its consequent vices of impiety1 profanity1 and intemperance1 associated with extreme vulgarity of manners2 an abject submissiveness to their superiors1 and an extreme rudeness in their intercourse with each other4 ,in regard to moral and social features1 ,lynnbridge was a very fair specimen of an ,english village1 neither better nor worse than the average number2 it had its church and its rector1 its wardens to attend to ecclesiastical matters1 and its overseer to look after the poor4 ,there was no school1 however1 for the training of the young in the way in which they should go2 nor had the pure gospel of the grace of ,god ever been preached to the people4 ,in the neighbourhood of this village1 ,mr4 ,newell had taken a farm1 and been settled there a few years before the date of the occurrences which ,i intend to narrate4 ,the farm rented by ,mr4 ,holmes' father1 and on which he had been born and brought up1 was situated a few miles from ,lynnbridge1 and from old associations he naturally took an interest in the village4 ,on one of his visits to his son-in-law1 he was much shocked with the appearance which it presented on a ,sabbath evening4 ,the large green on the banks of the river was crowded by the youth of both sexes1 devoting the sacred hours of the day of rest to various popular sports1 while their seniors filled the public-houses4 ,loud bursts of laughter were heard from all quarters1 and he learned that brawls and boxing matches were by no means of rare occurrence4 ,it was while contemplating this scene of disorder that ,mr4 ,holmes formed the praiseworthy resolution of having a chapel built1 and supporting the minister till the people were able and felt disposed to do so themselves4 ,as soon as he made known his determination1 his son-in-law1 and several other gentlemen1 voluntarily offered to co-operate with him4 ,one gave a piece of land1 another supplied part of the timber1 and others subscribed their money2 and though some ridiculed the design1 and a few interdicted their tenants and their labourers from assisting in its accomplishment1 yet1 like the ,hebrew temple1 the chapel gradually rose1 in spite of all opposition1 till at length it was finally completed4 ,having heard that the ,rector of the parish was much displeased with this projected encroachment on his ecclesiastical province1 ,mr4 ,holmes called on him1 to explain the reason and motives of his conduct1 and though he failed in obtaining his concurrence1 yet he was assured that he would offer no opposition1 as he held sacred the principle of unrestricted religious liberty4 ,he returned from this interview more gratified than he expected he should be1 having found the old ,rector an amiable and intelligent man1 far advanced beyond many of his order in the catholic liberality of his opinions and principles4 ,the chapel was finished within the space of six months2 and when every preparation was made for opening it1 ,mr4 ,newell1 as already mentioned1 sent notice to ,mr4 ,holmes1 who accordingly set out for ,warwickshire1 accompanied by his wife and eldest daughter4 ,on arriving at ,lynnbridge they found ,mr4 ,newell waiting with his chaise to take them to ,thornwood1 about two miles distant1 where they were received with the greatest joy by ,mrs4 ,newell1 the second daughter of the ,holmes family1 whom neither her mother nor sister had seen for a considerable time4 ,after the first greetings were over1 the conversation1 as might be expected1 turned on the late unhappy occurrences in the family1 in connection with ,emma's marriage4 ,then the subject of the new chapel1 which was to be opened on the ensuing ,sabbath1 was introduced by ,mr4 ,newell1 who informed his father-in-law that the opposition raised against the measure had gradually died away1 and some of the most violent and bigoted of its opponents had been brought to admit1 that it was likely to prove advantageous to the morals of the people4 ,after some discussion of this topic1 which served to divert their attention from more painful matters1 ,mr4 ,newell assembled his household for evening worship1 and shortly afterwards the family retired to rest4 ,the following days were employed by the ladies in visiting the dairy1 the garden1 the poultry-yard1 and examining other objects of rural interest2 and by ,mr4 ,holmes and his son-in-law in rambling over the farm1 and discussing the various agricultural operations then in progress4 ,at length the ,sabbath morning dawned on which the chapel was to be dedicated to ,god4 ,mr4 ,holmes rose at an early hour1 but was rather disappointed to find the sky looking dark and lowering2 on going1 however1 into the fold-yard1 he met the old shepherd1 who1 on being asked his opinion of the weather1 quietly surveyed the sky1 and said1 ,i think1 ,sir1 the dark clouds will blow off1 and we shall have a fine day4 ,this remark quite raised his spirits1 as the shepherd was considered a sort of weather prophet1 and this time at all events his words proved true1 for as the morning advanced the clouds began to disperse1 the bees were seen passing and repassing the parlour window2 and just after the family had finished breakfast1 the sun burst from the dark mantle in which he had been enveloped1 and diffused his bright and enlivening rays4 ,it is a pleasant thing1 said ,mr4 ,holmes1 to see the sun2 but ,i have never gazed on it with more delight than at this moment4 ,a fine emblem1 ,miss ,holmes replied1 of ,him1 who sometimes in an unexpected moment breaks in upon the midnight of the soul2 and who1 ,i trust1 will arise and shine on the inhabitants of this benighted village1 and bless them with the light of life and immortality4 ,the chapel1 a neat plain structure1 was erected on a piece of freehold land1 near the bank of the river1 where the villagers had been accustomed to spend the sacred hours of the ,sabbath in riotous amusement4 ,it was crowded to excess1 many persons having come from a great distance to be present at the opening4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,broadley of ,b---- commenced the service by reading a hymn1 which was sung with great animation and delight4 ,this was followed by reading the ,scriptures1 and prayer2 and then the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wyatt1 who had arrived for the occasion from ,london1 preached a very beautiful and impressive sermon from ,john iii4 #af--;,for ,god so loved the world1 that he gave his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,i am not aware1 he remarked1 after he had repeated his text1 that ,i could have selected a more important1 or a more interesting passage than that which ,i have just read4 ,so powerfully does it exhibit the love of ,god towards fallen man1 that though ,i could speak with an eloquence equal to that of an angel1 ,i should be incapable of doing it adequate justice4 ,god so loved the world1 that he gave his only begotten ,son2 and yet1 by many1 this gift is esteemed as a thing of nought2 and all references which are made to its immense value1 are regarded as the sallies or excesses of a disordered imagination1 or a mean and contemptible fanaticism4 ,he has 'so loved the world1 that he gave his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4' ,but alas6 the danger which awaits us is disbelieved2 and the happiness the ,son of ,god came to bestow is despised4 ,mr4 ,wyatt divided his text in the following order3-- ,i4 ,the moral condition of men1 of every rank1 and of every description of character1 is alarming4 ,,ii4 ,to deliver them from this state of moral danger was the express design of our ,lord's mission4 ,,iii4 ,such is the tenderness of his compassion1 that whosoever believeth in ,him shall not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,,iv4 ,saving us from the misery which we deserve1 by the gift of his only begotten ,son1 is a most astonishing display of the love of ,god4 ,when speaking under the second division of his sermon1 on the design of our ,lord's mission1 he delivered the following passage1 which made a deep impression on the audience3-- ,had one of the highest orders of angels assumed a human form1 and announced to us some scheme of redemption from evil and from ruin1 it would have been on our part an act of folly and ingratitude to have treated the message of mercy with indifference4 ,but1 brethren1 no angel1 however exalted1 could redeem man from the curse of a violated law1 or conduct him to the repossession of that purity and honour1 from which1 by transgression1 he has fallen4 ,therefore ,god gave his only begotten ,son1 who united in his own person every attribute of ,deity1 and every perfection of humanity2 displaying a majesty1 combined with a tenderness of character1 which alternately excite our awe and confidence4 ,with what ease did he rule the elements of nature--heal the maladies and disorders produced by sin--recal the souls of the departed from the invisible world2 while1 with all the familiarity and compassion of a near and beloved friend1 he mingles his tears of sympathy with the suffering mourner1 and diffuses the peace of heaven over the heart oppressed with sorrow4 ,suppose1 my brethren1 one of the elders of ,israel1 after having been present at the giving of the law at ,sinai1 and after having seen and heard the mysterious sights and sounds on that mount of awful majesty and terror1 had then fallen into a trance1 and continued in that state till the night before the vision of the shepherds on the plains of ,bethlehem4 ,suppose he had then awoke and been told1 that the law1 which had been given with so many awful accompaniments1 had been broken1 and that the ,lawgiver was on the eve of sending his only begotten ,son into the world--would he not have concluded that his mission must be one of vengeance8 ,but no6 ',god sent not his ,son into the world to condemn the world2 but that the world through him might be saved4' ,he gave his only begotten ,son that we might not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,what is it for man to perish8 ,i cannot tell--,i have never seen the judgment-seat of ,christ6--,i have never beheld the awful glory of that scene of terror6--,i have never heard the final sentence1 ,depart6--,i have never been banished far and for ever away from bliss6--,i have not endured the agonies of the worm that never dies6--the fire that is never quenched6 ,indeed1 my brethren1 ,i cannot tell what it is to perish6 ,it is a state of misery which no imagery can represent--which no language can describe--which no imagination can conceive4--',but have everlasting life6' ,it is life which gives to every other possession its determinate value4 ,for what is beauty without life but a fading ornament8 what is wealth without life but a useless substance8 what is honour without life but a bursting bubble8 ,skin for skin1 all that a man hath will he give for his life4 ,so much do we prize this invaluable possession1 that rather than lose it1 we will consent to part with one limb1 and one sense after another1 till all are gone4 ,but1 brethren1 the period is not far distant1 when1 like our forefathers1 we must resign it1 and be numbered with the dead2 yet ,jesus ,christ says1 that he that believeth in him shall never die4 ,this promise must be taken in a restricted sense1 as his disciples are no less liable to the visitations of death than his enemies4 ,their faith in him does not operate as a charm to repeal the law of mortality2 neither does it exempt them from the diseases and pains which usually precede its infliction4 ,but though they die a natural death1 yet they immediately enter on the full enjoyment of eternal life--when they dissolve their connection with the inhabitants of this world1 they become fellow-citizens with the saints in light--when they close their eyes on this earthly scene1 they open them on the visions of celestial glory--and when their bodies are committed to the tomb1 their immortal spirits are enjoying that endless life1 over which death has no power4 ,this life will be a life of perfect purity--of perfect knowledge--and of perfect felicity2 and will continue unimpaired by sickness1 and undisturbed by care1 for ever and for ever4 ,and our text says1 that whosoever believeth in the ,son of ,god shall have everlasting life4 ,no one is denied the invaluable blessing on account of the obscurity of his origin1 or the inferiority of his rank2 for though these circumstances of distinction have a powerful effect on us1 yet they have no influence over the mind of the ,saviour1 who looks with as much benign regard on a penitent villager as a repenting citizen2 and is no less willing to save a poor neglected pauper than the rich nobleman who fares sumptuously every day4 ,whosoever believeth in him shall not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,the most debased1 impure1 and worthless1 if they truly lay hold of the ,saviour1 come within the circle of this comprehensive promise1 and have the same warrant to expect forgiveness and final salvation1 as the apostles of ,jesus ,christ had4 ',and the ,spirit and the bride say1 ,come4 ,and let him that heareth say1 ,come4 ,and let him that is athirst come4 ,and whosoever will1 let him take the water of life freely' 7,rev4 xxii4 #ag74 99 99 99 99 99 ,a short time after the ,village ,chapel had been set apart for the worship of ,god1 and the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,swinson1 its minister1 had commenced the discharge of his regular services1 a spirit of opposition arose from a very unexpected quarter4 ,some of the more respectable farmers1 and two magistrates1 waited on the clergyman of the parish1 to express their astonishment that he should give his sanction to a measure1 which1 in their opinion1 was calculated to endanger the ,church4 ,indeed1 gentlemen1 said the ,rector1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,trevor1 ,i have not sanctioned it4 ,when ,mr4 ,holmes called on me to explain his motives for building the chapel1 he said his object was to reform the village4 ,i expressed a wish that he might succeed in that particular1 but at the same time told him that ,i did not think he would4 ,reform the village1 ,sir6 said one of the magistrates1 the village wants no reformation4 ,the people are honest1 industrious1 virtuous1 and happy2 and what reformation do they require8 ,but they are rather remiss in their attendance at church2 and they have frequently pastimes on the green on a ,sunday evening1 which ,i think ought not to be tolerated4 ,why1 certainly1 ,sir1 they do not attend the church quite so often as they ought to do2 but as for the pastimes on the green1 ,i rather think you must have received some exaggerated report of them1 for ,i candidly confess that ,i never saw anything to disapprove of4 ,i have heard of their dancing on a ,sunday evening1 replied the ,rector1 and of many of them getting intoxicated1 which you must allow1 gentlemen1 are not very reputable engagements for a ,sunday evening4 ,they are a cheerful1 merry set of folks1 ,sir2 and some of them may sometimes take a little more ale than is good for them2 but ,i never saw anything in their amusements to disapprove of4 ,indeed1 ,i think the scene which the green presents on a ,sunday evening is one of the most picturesque which a country life can exhibit2 displaying1 as it does1 such varied lights and shades of rustic character4 ,the young and old intermingle together2 and those who are too infirm to engage in the innocent frolics of their youthful days1 look on1 while others react the parts they once performed4 ,the utmost degree of hilarity prevails amongst them2 and in these relaxations they forget the toils and cares of the week4 ,well1 gentlemen1 replied ,mr4 ,trevor1 ,i certainly think that the poor1 no less than the rich1 ought to be left to choose their own pleasures1 without being controlled by others2 and if any of them prefer worshipping their ,maker on a ,sunday evening1 to joining in a public gambol1 they ought to be permitted to do it4 ,i cannot consent to impose any restraint on the consciences of others1 as ,i should not like to submit to any restraint myself4 ,indeed1 opposition on our part would be both impolitic and unjust2 the spirit of an ,englishman rises up in defiance against any interference with his religious opinions1 and his opposition becomes more decided and more zealous in proportion to the efforts employed to restrain his liberty of conscience4 ,though these persons could not induce their amiable and intelligent ,rector to unite with them in their attempt to put down what they termed the new religion1 yet they resolved to employ all the influence they possessed to accomplish their purpose4 ,how to do it in the most effectual way1 and yet not involve themselves in any hazardous responsibility1 was a question which perplexed them4 ,after various discussions they resolved to prohibit all their tenants and servants from attending the chapel--to withhold parish pay from those paupers who went--and to refuse associating with the more independent and respectable parishioners who gave it the sanction of their presence4 ,having agreed on their plan of operation1 they proceeded to act on it with vigour1 and the effects were immediately felt2 for on the following ,sabbath the congregation assembling at the new chapel was reduced to less than one-half of its usual number4 ,this determined opposition was rather discouraging2 but as yet ,mr4 ,swinson and those who adhered to him were permitted to remain unmolested4 ,but a storm was gathering2 and the evil spirits who had set themselves against the introduction of evangelical religion into the village1 resolved to make one desperate effort to expel it4 ,some of the baser sort were selected as the agents of the plot2 and everything being arranged1 they came in a body on a ,sunday evening1 and while ,mr4 ,swinson was preaching1 they entered the chapel1 and by their noise and tumultuous behaviour1 compelled him to desist and the people to retire4 ,as he was quitting this scene of confusion1 he was grossly insulted1 some of the rioters brandishing their sticks over his head1 and threatening that if he dared enter the chapel again1 he should not be permitted to escape with his life4 ,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,swinson ,,assaulted ,,by ,,the ,,mob4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #cif4 ,the report of these proceedings soon spread through the neighbouring country2 and while some raised the loud laugh1 and defended the conduct of the assailants1 others came forward to aid in resisting the tyranny which was attempting to trample on the rights and liberties of the people4 ,it was well known that the actors on this occasion were instigated secretly by parties behind the scenes--that they were the mere agents of the respectable and intelligent few1 who had resolved on the extermination of this so-called new religion2 and though ,christian sympathy wept over their ignorance1 and mercy pleaded for their forgiveness1 yet it was felt by ,mr4 ,holmes and his friends1 as a duty they owed to the reputation of the clergyman who had been insulted1 and to the liberties of the people which had been trampled on1 to bring the perpetrators of this disturbance to punishment4 ,warrants were immediately granted by a neighbouring magistrate for the apprehension of all the culprits1 and they were bound over to appear at the next sessions1 there to be tried for disturbing ,mr4 ,swinson and his congregation1 while engaged in public worship1 and for threatening the life of the minister1 if he attempted to continue the discharge of his pastoral duties4 ,no sooner had these thoughtless and misguided young men returned from the presence of the magistrate1 than they began to regret the part they had acted2 and frankly confessed1 that they should never have engaged in the affair1 had it not been for ,mr4 ,wingate1 an extensive proprietor in the neighbourhood1 and his friends4 ,they put us up to it1 one of them said1 and promised that no harm should come to us if we would kick up a row4 ,there is no class of men in society who occupy a more respectable or a more enviable station than our country gentlemen4 ,but living on their own patrimonial estates1 in the midst of a thinly scattered population1 consisting for the most part of poor and ignorant peasantry1 they frequently display more of the domineering spirit of feudal times than any other class of men in the kingdom3 and though they have made some progress in intellectual cultivation1 in accordance with the spirit of the age1 yet they still lag far behind the great body of their countrymen in liberality of sentiment and benevolence of disposition4 ,they are too apt to regard the peasantry with supercilious contempt1 and endeavour to keep down1 by oppression1 the rising spirit of freedom4 ,they too often seem to consider those who have no riches1 as beings having no rights--whose quiet complaint is to be considered as provocation1 and whose mildest remonstrance is to be regarded as insolence4 ,they have been in past times most active in opposing the introduction of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ into the villages over which they exercise an authority2 and many of the popular outrages which have been committed against the ministers of the gospel1 have originated in their suggestions or direct efforts4 ,but now a change has come over the land for the better4 ,this may be partly attributed to that spirit of independent inquiry which is spreading amongst our peasantry1 who seem disposed to withstand all encroachments on their freedom of choice and action2 and while they are not wanting in civility and proper subjection to their employers1 bow not1 as their forefathers did1 to the yoke of arbitrary oppression4 ,when the sessions came on1 the friends of the accused made every possible effort to defeat the ends of justice1 but they were foiled in the attempt4 ,the case was stated in a clear and forcible manner--the evidence which supported it was full and conclusive--and though their acquittal would have given many of the spectators of their trial a triumph1 yet an honest jury returned the verdict which the injured laws of the country demanded1 and the rioters were found guilty4 ,as they made1 however1 a handsome apology1 and entered into a recognizance to keep the peace1 and to come up for judgment when called on to do so1 ,mr4 ,holmes and his friends consented to stay any further proceedings1 and this gave general satisfaction4 ,after this decision1 the spirit of persecution declined1 and the peasantry1 finding that they were protected by the laws of the country1 resolutely determined to enjoy the freedom which no man could take from them4 ,they now pressed in greater numbers to hear the preacher1 who had given such decisive proofs that he knew how to practise the forbearance which he enforced1 and exercise the mercy which it was his duty and his delight to proclaim4 ,when preaching one ,sabbath evening1 shortly after the trial1 from #a ,tim4 i4 #ac--,who was before a blasphemer1 and a persecutor1 and injurious3 but ,i have obtained mercy1 because ,i did it ignorantly in unbelief--he saw two of the ring-leaders of the late riot sitting in a back seat in the gallery of the chapel4 ,without appearing to notice them1 he took occasion1 from the subject he was discussing1 to make a strong appeal to their consciences4 ,after delineating the character of ,paul1 as a blasphemer and a persecutor1 and as one who had injured the reputation and destroyed the peace of others1 he passed by a natural transition to his present audience1 and thus addressed them3--,happy would it have been for the world1 if the spirit of persecution had died out of it when ,saul of ,tarsus was converted to the faith of ,christ2 but alas6 my brethren1 it survived that memorable event1 and has continued in existence to the present day4 ,in former times it dragged the disciples of the ,redeemer to prison1 confiscated their property1 and then consigned them to the flames2 and though its power is now restrained by the laws of our country1 yet it still retains all its native rancour and malignity4 ,it would now react the part by which it formerly disgraced our national history1 and plunge us into all the horrors and sufferings which our ancestors endured2 but thanks to a kind and merciful ,providence1 we are guarded from its violence by the majesty of the ,british law1 and are permitted to assemble together1 where and when we please1 without dreading opposition or disturbance from any one4 ,our duty in relation to our persecutors is to pity them1 for they do it ignorantly in unbelief1 and to pray that they may obtain mercy4 ,and have we not encouragement to do this1 seeing that ,god is sometimes pleased to transform the persecutor into a preacher of the gospel8 ,hence the apostle1 when writing to the church at ,galatia1 says3 ',but they had heard only1 that he which persecuted us in times past1 now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed4' ,what a change6 ,what a miracle of grace6 ,what a proof that ,christ ,jesus came to save the chief of sinners6 ,and am ,i now addressing any one who has attempted to disturb us in the enjoyment of our religious privileges1 or who has been in the habit of reviling or threatening us8 ,you see how we are protected1 and though we have not chosen to enforce the full penalties of the law1 yet a repetition of the offence will render such forbearance in future absolutely impossible4 ,but ,i flatter myself1 that those who have opposed us1 will do so no more2 and that even the persecutors themselves may be induced to implore mercy4 ,yes1 ,o persecutor1 ,he against whom thou hast raised the rebellious hand1 waits to be gracious--he1 whose authority thou hast trampled on1 and whose grace thou hast despised1 is now looking down with an eye of compassion1 more willing to pardon and to save1 than to punish and destroy4 ,if you continue in a state of rebellious impenitence1 you will treasure up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath2 but if you now repent and pray1 and believe in him1 you will be forgiven1 and finally admitted into his presence in heaven1 where you will enjoy a state of purity and happiness for ever4 ,let me then urge you to return home1 and on your knees pour forth the prayer of the publican1 ',god be merciful to me a sinner2' and should it please ,god1 who 'delighteth in mercy1' to answer this prayer1 you will then feel a stronger attachment than you ever felt aversion to the gospel of ,christ4 ,it often happens that the cause of the ,redeemer is promoted by the very means employed to crush it2 and of the truth of this remark the above narrative furnishes a striking instance4 ,mr4 ,swinson's congregation at ,lynnbridge increased so rapidly1 that it became necessary to erect a large front gallery in the chapel2 and many of the inhabitants of remoter parishes1 being induced to come and hear the man who had been so unjustly treated1 solicited him to visit them and preach during the evenings of the week4 ,so mightily grew the word of ,god1 and prevailed 7,acts xix4 #bj74 ,,village ,,characters4 ,a few weeks after the termination of the struggle1 so successfully maintained by the managers of the village chapel1 against the encroachments of bigotry and intolerance1 ,i received a letter from ,mr4 ,newell informing me that ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes had quitted ,thornwood to return to the ,elms1 but had left ,miss ,holmes to remain a little longer with him and ,mrs4 ,newell4 ,he proceeded to say1 that as his friends who had filled his house were now departed1 he should be very happy if ,i would pay him a visit1 and that if ,i could arrange to remain for a little time1 ,i might then accompany ,louisa on her return to the ,elms1 and thus fulfil the promise which ,i had formerly made to ,mr4 ,holmes4 ,this invitation came very opportunely1 as ,i had just been labouring under a slight indisposition1 for which change of air was strongly recommended4 ,i had a great desire1 too1 to see again both ,mr4 ,newell and ,miss ,holmes2 and1 accordingly1 after arranging matters for an absence of a short period1 ,i took my seat in the coach to ,lynnbridge1 where ,mr4 ,newell was waiting to receive me with his chaise4 ,till then ,i had never before been in that part of the country1 and was quite delighted with the beautiful drive from ,lynnbridge to ,thornwood4 ,on arriving there ,i had the pleasure of meeting again ,miss ,holmes and ,mrs4 ,newell1 neither of whom ,i had seen since the marriage of the latter a few years before in ,london4 ,i need not here enlarge on the kind reception which ,i received from all1 or recount the details of the pleasant and cheerful conversation in which we spent the evening4 ,the following day1 after an early dinner1 ,miss ,holmes1 ,mrs4 ,newell1 and myself 7,mr4 ,newell having some business to attend to7 sallied out for a walk4 ,louisa shall be our cicerone1 said ,mrs4 ,newell2 ,i think she knows more of the country hereabouts than ,i1 who have lived in it for several years4 ,perhaps1 ,mr4 ----1 she continued1 addressing me1 you would like to see some of our ,,village ,,characters4 ,they are to be found everywhere2 but ,i think this place has rather more than its share of them4 ,louisa1 ,i believe1 knows them all already1 as she is a most ardent student of the different phases of humanity4 ,i1 of course1 expressed my readiness to accompany the ladies wherever they chose to lead me2 and we1 accordingly1 bent our footsteps towards a homestead about a mile off1 occupied by ,mr4 ,william ,harris1 one of the finest specimens of the old ,english farmer ,i had seen for a long time4 ,he was a stout-built man1 rather inclined to corpulency1 with a fresh ruddy face and a sharp keen eye2 but the best description ,i can give of him is that furnished me by ,miss ,holmes1 as we walked towards his house4 ,mr4 ,harris1 she said1 is1 as might be expected1 blunt in his manners1 but frank and obliging in his disposition1 of an hospitable and genial nature1 and as regular as clock-work in all his domestic arrangements4 ,he lives in the house in which his grandfather was born1 and which is shaded by a large oak tree1 that has outlived many generations1 and is likely to outlive many more4 ,he rises in the summer about five1 breakfasts at half-past six1 takes his dinner exactly as the clock strikes twelve1 smokes his pipe in the porch between six and seven1 then takes his supper1 and retires at nine1 to sleep away the long and tedious hours of night4 ,he is1 upon the whole1 a very worthy man1 though rather pedantic in his way4 ,he received what he calls an edecation1 when young2 his father having sent him for six months to a boarding-school about twelve miles off2 besides giving the old parish clerk two guineas to teach him the rules of addition and multiplication4 ,he farms a small property of his own1 on which his modest mansion stands1 and rents another farm about double the size1 under ,lord ----2 and is regarded by most of his fraternity rather clever in his profession4 ,he is a good judge of live stock2 is celebrated for the excellence of his butter and cheese2 decidedly attached to his ,church and his ,queen2 generally consulted on all parish questions2 and universally admitted to be one of the best weather-tellers in the neighbourhood1 though the shepherd says he has known him out in his reckonings4 ,he has served the office of overseer eleven times1 which forms one of his chief tales in all companies2 has been churchwarden six times2 was1 when a young man1 regularly enrolled amongst the yeomanry of the country at the time of the threatened invasion in the year #ahjd1 and often expresses his regret that no opportunity ever occurred to enable him to distinguish himself in the annals of war4 ,he goes to church with his comely dame every ,sunday2 repeats the responses in an audible voice2 reclines his head on the top of his staff1 while appearing to listen to the sermon2 reads one chapter in the ,old ,testament and one in the ,new every ,sunday afternoon2 and then indulges himself with an extra glass and pipe with a few friends1 either at his own house1 or at the inn on the green4 ,but he is1 to quote his own language1 a mortal enemy to the ,methodists2 and will not suffer any of his servants1 if he knows it1 to attend the chapel4 ,he says that the old religion is the best2 and he thinks that no one ought to be suffered to change it4 ,he often says he hopes to live long enough to see the ,toleration ,act repealed1 which he declares is a disgrace to parliament4 ,he happened to be smoking his pipe1 with his arms resting on the little gate in the front of his house1 as we were approaching it2 and in exchange for the courteous salutation we gave him1 he invited us to taste his ale1 which1 he said1 was a prime fresh tap4 ,this offer we declined with thanks1 as we preferred a glass of cold water1 which excited his astonishment4 ,you like water better than good ale6 well1 every one to his liking1 ,i say2 but give me a good tankard of prime home-brewed4 ,you be a stranger1 ,i think1 ,sir1 in these parts1 he continued1 addressing me1 ,i don't remember of ever seeing you here before4 ,i have never been in this part of the country before1 ,i replied1 and have just been admiring the fine scenery which surrounds your village on all sides4 ,there is a good proportion of hill and dale2 and the parish church on the brow of the hill1 looking down to the river1 is a most interesting object4 ,yes1 ,sir1 it looks very well4 ,there were no trees about it1 except the old yews1 till ,i was appointed churchwarden1 fourteen years ago1 last ,easter ,monday1 when ,i had them planted1 and they have thriv'd very well4 ,i have heard many gentlemen say it is a great improvement4 ,they say it gives a kind of a finish to our church4 ,they have often drunk my health for doing it4 ,but the inside of the church is not so neat and clean as the outside is imposing4 ,no1 ,sir1 it's sadly neglected now2 but when ,i was warden1 it was the cleanest church in our parts4 ,how often have you duty performed in it8 ,once every ,sunday1 when ,i and my dame go as regularly as the doors are opened2 except when it's very wet1 and then ,i go alone4 ,she has a touch of the rheumatics in bad weather2 worse luck3 and gets deafish if she goes4 ,as it is so small1 ,i suppose it is crowded on the ,sunday8 ,why1 no1 not much of that2 for the people go to the chapel that's built yonder on the green4 ,people now-a-days an't satisfied with the good old religion of the ,church2 they must have this new religion that's springing up all over the country4 ,do you know what this new religion is8 ,no1 ,sir4 ,i'm satisfied with the religion my fathers had before me1 and so ,i don't trouble my head about it2 but ,i understand it makes people very miserable4 ,now1 my religion never made me miserable1 and ,i don't think it ever will4 ,i am for letting well alone4 ,i suppose you wish to go to heaven when you die8 ,aye1 to be sure1 ,i do4 ,i shouldn't like to go to t'other place4 ,they are badish off there1 so the parsons tell us2 and ,i suppose they know all about it1 as they studied at the univarsaty4 ,but we ought not to expect to get to a place unless we go the right way4 ,that's true1 and no mistake4 ,have you ever thought much about the difficulty of getting into the right way which leads to heaven8 ,i suppose you have read what ,jesus ,christ says on this point8 ',enter ye in at the strait gate3 for wide is the gate1 and broad is the way1 that leadeth to destruction1 and many there be which go in thereat3 because strait is the gate1 and narrow is the way1 which leadeth unto life1 and few there be that find it' 7,matt4 vii4 #ac1 #ad74 ,aye1 ,i recollect reading them varses t'other ,sunday1 and ,i felt a bit puzzled to make out their meaning4 ,but1 ,farmer1 they have a meaning1 and a very important meaning4 ,so ,i guess1 or ,jesus ,christ wouldn't had them put into the ,bible4 ,can you tell me the meaning1 as ,i should like to know8 ,why1 the meaning is just this3 the many get into the broad way1 that is1 the wrong way1 and they are lost1 and perish in hell4 ,have you not read the verses which almost immediately follow8--',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 #bb1 #bc74 ,now1 ,sir1 allow me to ask you one question4 ,if we go to church1 and pay every one his own1 and are as good as we can be1 do you not think that we shall go to heaven when we die8 ,we can't be better than that1 you know1 ,sir2 and there are not many in these parts so good as that4 ,as you have asked me a question1 will you allow me to ask you one8 ,yes1 ,sir2 twenty1 if you please4 ,are you as good as you can be8 ,why1 to be sure1 ,sir1 ,i might be a bit better2 but you know we are all sinners3 the more's the pity4 ,then1 how can you expect to go to heaven on your own principle of reasoning8 ,now1 ,farmer1 let me tell you1 that you are under a delusion which will prove fatal unless you are undeceived4 ,if you read the ,new ,testament with attention1 you will perceive1 that two things are necessary to fit us for heaven3 the first is1 we must be born again2 and the second is1 we must repent of1 and forsake all our sins1 and believe in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,repentance3 aye1 that's very proper when people do wrong2 but ,i have never done anything ,i am ashamed of4 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i have been overseer eleven times2 and there's ne'er a pauper in the parish but will say that ,i always acted with the greatest charity4 ,i go to church--read my ,bible--and pay everybody his own2 and ,i don't think ,god requires anything more than this2 and ,i suppose you will think this is very fair as times go8 ,but are you born again8 ,i don't know what that means2 it puzzles my brains2 but then ,i'm no scolard2 though ,i know a good bit about farming1 like4 ,then if you do not know what it is to be born again1 that's a proof that you are not born again1 for if you were1 you would understand what it is4 ,well1 ,i suppose ,i should4 ,then according to your talk1 though ,i go to church1 ,i am not likely after all to go to heaven4 ,if you are right1 ,i am on the wrong tack2 but what must ,i do to get right8 ',tis time ,i looked about me1 for ,i shall be sixty-eight next ,lady-day1 and that's a great age2 though my father lived till he was fourscore1 and my grandfather was ninety-one when he died2 and ,i had an uncle who lived to see a hundred and three4 ,you see we are a longish-lived set--about the oldest livers in these parts4 ,i think you can't do a better thing than overcome your prejudices1 and go and hear the preaching at the village chapel1 where these things will be explained to you2 and it is very likely that there you will gain in a few months more information on religious subjects than you have acquired in all your life4 ,at the mention of the chapel he shrugged up his shoulders and said1 ,why1 if ,i was to go there ,i should have half the parish laughing at me4 ,i shouldn't be able to show my face at market4 ,my old friends would give me the cold shoulder4 ,no1 no1 it will never do for an old warden1 who has been in office so often1 to leave church and our old ,rector1 for a ,methody chapel and a ,methody parson4 ,one word1 ,farmer1 and ,i will soon finish4 ,are you such a coward as to care for what others say1 when you are doing a thing for your own advantage8 ,will you suffer the laugh of the ungodly to deter you from getting into the narrow way that leads to heaven2 and consent to be lost with the many1 rather than saved with the few8 ,these sartanly are plain questions1 and ,i'll give them a turn over in my mind4 ,i must confess that your talk has satisfied me--that ,i know but little--the more's the pity--about the good things of the ,bible2 and ,i think as how ,i shall take your advice1 and go and hear the gentleman who preaches in the chapel4 ,if ,i don't like what he says1 ,i need not go again1 and it is but right to give him a hearing before one condemns him4 ,very true4 ,we now wished ,mr4 ,harris good day1 and proceeded on our walk4 ,a short distance onward we passed a neat cottage by the roadside1 in the little garden in front of which we saw a lady walking up and down at a solemn pace4 ,as ,mrs4 ,newell was acquainted with her she stopped to ask her how she did4 ,as she did not perceive us before ,mrs4 ,newell spoke1 being wrapped up in her own airy musings1 she seemed startled1 as though some spectre had suddenly made its appearance1 but recovering her composure1 she politely invited us to enter her modest habitation4 ,i am sorry1 ,madam1 said ,mrs4 ,newell1 in her usual kind manner1 to see you so indisposed4 ,indeed1 said ,miss ,newnham1 ,i am very ill--very ill indeed4 ,i was never worse in all my life4 ,i have not had a wink of sleep these two nights4 ,i sent for the doctor yesterday1 but he did not come till this morning2 and he says that ,i am not ill4 ,but ,i feel that ,i am very ill indeed4 ,dr4 ,bland does not understand my case4 ,i shall send for ,dr4 ,gordon1 who is more clever in his profession2 so my aunt tells me1 and so my old servant says4 ,have you been ill long1 ,madam8 ,i inquired4 ,o no1 ,sir6 ,i was very well this day fortnight4 ,i spent the evening at ,mrs4 ,paul's with a party1 and stayed rather later than usual2 and on coming home1 just as ,i was passing along the churchyard1 ,i saw a very bright star shoot down from the sky4 ,it did not1 ,i suppose1 fall on you8 ,o no6 it didn't fall on me2 but1 ,sir1 ,i had such a dream6 and ,i awoke about three o'clock in the morning in such a terror1 that ,i have not been well since4 ,and every night1 but two1 since then1 the screech owl has perched itself on the ledge of my window1 and kept up its hideous noises so long1 that ,i have been obliged to have my servant sleep in the same room with me ever since1 and that's a very unpleasant thing3 particularly so4 ,and if1 ,madam1 it be not an impertinent question1 may ,i be permitted to inquire into the nature of your dream8 ,o ,sir6 ,i dreamed ,i went to ,weston to purchase a new dress2 and the shopman1 by mistake1 took down some crape instead of printed muslin2 and just at that time in came ,mr4 ,noades1 the undertaker1 and said he wanted some stuff for a shroud1 for a lady who had died suddenly4 ,and ,i awoke in such a fright6 ,indeed1 ,i have not been myself since4 ,my nerves are so shook4 ,my very shadow makes me tremble4 ,i am afraid ,i'm going to die4 ,well1 ,madam1 it is certain you will die1 and you may die suddenly2 but do you think that this dream will hasten the time of your death8 ,but1 ,sir1 when ,i awoke ,i heard the death-watch as plainly as you now hear me speak4 ,and do you suppose1 ,madam1 that the ,supreme ,being has communicated to this insect a knowledge of your approaching death1 and sent it1 in the stillness of the night1 to give you warning8 ,but1 ,sir1 ,i heard the death-watch several times when my sister was ill of a decline1 and she died about six months afterwards4 ,i said she would die4 ,i was quite sure she would4 ,very likely2 and though you may trace a connection between her disorder and her death1 yet what connection can you trace between the noise of this little insect and her death8 ,but1 ,sir1 since the screech owl left my window1 our dog has done nothing but howl for the last two nights4 ,o6 it is so dismal to lie awake and hear it4 ,it makes me tremble like an aspen leaf4 ,and do you think that the howling of the dog is a prognostic of your death1 any more than the death of either of your servants8 ,i remember1 ,sir1 the dog howled most awfully just before my grandmother died3 and when she heard it she said she should be sure to die1 and she did die sure enough4 ,and how old1 ,madam1 was your grandmother when she died8 ,ninety-two1 all but four weeks and three days4 ,and she really did hear the dog howl some short time before her death8 ,yes1 ,sir1 about five nights before she died2 and all the servants heard it2 and they were so frightened2 and they all said1 nothing can save her after these howlings4 ,very likely2 and as most dogs occasionally howl in the night1 it would be very strange if some person did not die after such howlings2 but can we suppose that the ,supreme ,being employs shooting stars1 insects1 owls1 and dogs1 to announce to us the approach of our death8 ,and don't you believe1 ,sir1 in such omens8 ,everybody does in our parish4 ,i believe that ignorance and superstition have invested these sights and sounds with an ominous import1 and that many allow themselves to be terrified by them2 but what can be a stronger proof of the absurdity of such a habit1 than the fact that the star often falls1 the death-watch often ticks1 and the dog often howls1 when the patient recovers1 and lives for years to relate the terror and alarm which these scare-crows of superstition had excited in his breast4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 ,i may live1 and if ,i do1 ,i shall then have a proof that there is nothing in it4 ,and pray1 ,madam1 have you never known a patient recover from his illness even after he has been warned of his approaching death by these omens of terror8 ,o yes1 ,sir1 my dear mother was once very ill1 and for seven nights our dog howled as he did last night2 but she lived seven years afterwards1 and when she died no noises were heard4 ,now1 dear ,madam1 excuse me1 a stranger1 taking the liberty of talking so to you2 after what you have just mentioned1 what stronger proof do you require of the folly of being alarmed by sounds which the inferior tribes of nature utter1 and which you must know1 on reflection1 are no sure indications of any future event in the history of human life8 ,that you will die is certain2 and that you will enter the eternal world is certain2 and that you will stand before the judgment-seat of ,christ is certain2 and that you are ignorant of the exact time when these great events will take place is equally certain2 but instead of allowing your mind to be agitated by these senseless sounds1 you ought to be preparing for the final issue of life4 ,here our conversation ended1 and we then took our leave1 ,miss ,newnham thanking me for the interest ,i had taken in her welfare1 and hoping that ,i would call again on her before ,i left ,thornwood4 ,addison has a good paper on the propensity which weak and superstitious people indulge1 to give an ominous meaning to many of the casualties of life2 and to allow themselves to be more terrified by the screeching of an owl1 the clicking of an insect1 or the howling of a dog1 than the real and afflictive dispensations of ,providence4 ,as society improves in knowledge1 especially the knowledge of the ,scriptures1 this propensity will become weaker and weaker2 and though some traces of its existence may be discovered1 at times1 in the most cultivated minds1 yet it is not invested with that magic power which it exercises over the illiterate4 ,many efforts have been employed to expose its absurdity1 but if we intermingle with the uninformed inhabitants of a village1 we shall have indubitable evidence that its influence still continues to operate4 ,the same elegant writer to whom ,i have just referred1 observes3--,i know but one way of fortifying my soul against these gloomy presages and terrors of mind1 and that is1 by securing to myself the friendship and affection of that ,being who disposes of events1 and governs futurity4 ,he sees1 at one view1 the whole thread of my existence1 not only that part of it which ,i have already passed through1 but that which runs forward into all the depths of eternity4 ,when ,i lay me down to sleep1 ,i recommend myself to his care2 when ,i awake1 ,i give myself up to his direction4 ,amidst all the evils that threaten me1 ,i will look up to him for help1 and question not but he will either avert them1 or turn them to my advantage4 ,though ,i know neither the time nor the manner of the death ,i am to die1 ,i am not at all solicitous about it2 because ,i am sure he knows them both1 and that he will not fail to comfort and support me under them4#bg #bg ,in connection with the above subject1 the author may be permitted to narrate the two following cases which occurred a few years since in the town where he then resided3--,the chief actors in the scenes to be described were persons occupying a respectable station in society1 and who habitually associated with intelligent and pious people4 ,he and his wife accepted an invitation to dine with a large party4 ,the dinner was laid out in first-rate style1 grace was said with becoming solemnity1 and we took our seats in due form1 when our hostess rose suddenly and rushed out of the room1 pale and affrighted1 as though the turkey which she was preparing to dismember had suddenly metamorphosed itself into a hobgoblin4 ,we then heard her exclaim1 when she found herself alone in the hall1 nearly breathless with terror1 ,o dear1 ,o dear6 there are thirteen6 ,i looked at my wife and she looked at me1 in utter amazement1 wondering what presage of coming evil could lurk under the number thirteen4 ,at length our good-natured host said to one of his daughters1 ,eliza1 you must retire1 and we will send your plate to you in the other room4 ,you know your ,mamma's objection to sit down at the table with such an unlucky number4 ,eliza quietly withdrew1 and then her mother silently entered1 almost as pale as a corpse1 but her natural colour returned soon after she commenced her carving labours4 ,thirteen an unlucky number6 ,how odd6 ,i could not make it out1 and continued to puzzle my head with it during dinner4 ,however1 we were informed1 before the party broke up1 that one person was sure to die very soon after eating a hearty dinner with twelve1 however hale and vigorous they might all be4 ,the other case is as follows3--,a friend of the author had been married1 and he and his wife went to pay the customary wedding visit4 ,the sister of the bride was in waiting to receive the company2 her mother keeping watch1 to see that everything was done in due order4 ,there was a goodly muster of persons1 including uncles and aunts1 first and second cousins1 and friends and acquaintances almost without number4 ,at last the uncle of the bride1 a fine portly man1 made his appearance1 and was in the act of entering the parlour with his hearty congratulations to his niece1 when the door was suddenly and rather unceremoniously slammed to by his sister1 as though he had been some grim demon1 bent on mischief4 ,daniel1 don't come in2 ,daniel1 you must not come in2 ,daniel1 you shan't come in1 exclaimed the lady4 ,what's the matter now8 said ,daniel1 who apparently was as much surprised at not being permitted to see us as we were at not being permitted to see him4 ,what's the matter6 re-echoed his sister2 why1 you have got your black coat on6 ,daniel was obliged to doff his black coat and put on a blue one1 made for a much smaller man1 and then he appeared amongst us4 ,moving nearly as gracefully as a man would do in a strait waistcoat1 his appearance was a severe tax on our gravity4 ,the mystery of the black coat rejected1 and the blue coat honoured by a presentation1 still remained unsolved to my wife and myself1 till we overheard a grave matron say1 ,it was very lucky1 as the dear creature wouldn't die now4 ,that is1 as was more fully explained afterwards1 the black coat would have betokened the death of the bride1 if she had seen it4 ,alas6 poor human nature4 ,what a specimen of its absurdity and folly6 ,the black coat of the author was invested with no fatal presage1 as he belonged to the clerical order2 otherwise1 like ,uncle ,daniel1 he must have changed it before he could have tasted a bit of the wedding cake4 ,shortly after leaving ,miss ,newnham1 we turned aside into a fine old park2 and feeling rather fatigued1 seated ourselves beneath a clump of trees that stood near the foot-path4 ,as we sat watching the hares and rabbits which came out of a neighbouring coppice1 and the stately deer which fed around us1 unawed by our presence1 the ,squire passed by1 and in a most good-humoured and kindly manner invited us to take some refreshment at the ,hall4 ,the invitation was accepted2 and we soon found ourselves in a large antique parlour1 in which the spirit of hospitality had dwelt from time immemorial4 ,the ,squire1 or to call him by his own name1 ,mr4 ,bradley1 was a fine looking old gentleman1 of about sixty years of age1 but with a deep trace of melancholy imprinted on his countenance4 ,he had one child1 who was sent1 when eleven years of age1 to a first-rate classical school1 to be prepared for ,oxford4 ,when about the age of fourteen1 according to a barbarous custom which still prevails in most of our great schools1 he was chosen by a senior scholar to fight another boy about his own age4 ,after contending till his strength was nearly exhausted1 he received a blow on his right temple1 which sent him lifeless to the ground4 ,at first the boys thought him only stunned1 and taking him up carefully1 they carried him into a shed1 when1 to their horror1 they found that he was dead6 ,horror-struck at this ghastly spectacle1 they knew not what to do2 but at length the dismal news reached the ears of the master--medical assistance was sent for1 but it came too late4 ,this fatal catastrophe happened just before ,christmas1 when the fond parents were preparing to receive their child once more under their roof during the holidays4 ,when the tidings reached them1 they were frantic with grief1 and resolved to punish the authors of their calamity2 but on cool reflection they forbore doing so1 and sunk down into a state of melancholy1 from which they have never perfectly recovered4 ,this sad bereavement brought about a singular change in the habits of the ,squire1 who now became a very religious man4 ,he had family prayer morning and evening1 attended church regularly1 and observed the fasts with a degree of monkish austerity which is rarely met with amongst ,protestants4 ,as his religion1 however1 contained no recognition of a living ,saviour1 it did not reach his heart1 nor produce that exquisite taste for the enjoyment of spiritual things which is formed when the inner man is renewed in its spirit and disposition4 ,and here the author would remark1 before he gives the sequel of this interview with the ,squire1 that the ,christian scheme of salvation differs from every other system of religion in one very important particular--it does not admit any person to the denomination of a believer1 who does not feel its influence on his heart2 nor can a person discern its adaptation to the moral condition of man1 till such influence is felt4 ,hence it discriminates between the man who holds the truth in unrighteousness1 and the man who receives it with meekness and in faith2 and while it imparts to the latter all its consolations and its hopes1 it pronounces the sentence of condemnation on the former1 although his moral character may be adorned with the varied beauties of social virtue4 ,to the one it unveils a scene of contemplation1 which displays the purity and grandeur of the ,divine nature--the equity and glory of his wise1 yet mysterious dispensations of providence and of grace2 to the other it remains as an unconnected and unharmonious scheme of religion1 which no skill can simplify1 and which no labour can methodically arrange4 ,to the one it opens a fountain of living waters1 of which they who drink never thirst after a more salubrious draught of happiness2 to the other it is as a stagnant lake1 whose waters are bitter1 like those of ancient ,marah4 ,to the one it makes known a ,saviour1 in the efficacy of his death1 in the riches of his grace1 and in the prevalence of his intercession3 to the other it exhibits him as the ,man of sorrows1 who once fasted in the desert1 and preached in the temple--who once wept on ,olivet1 and groaned on ,calvary--and who derives all his celebrity from the records of history1 rather than from the manifestation of his love in renewing and sanctifying the soul4 ,so that while these two persons profess the same faith1 bear the same denominational character1 worship in the same church1 and observe the same ceremonial rites and institutions2 they cannot hold any communion with each other in spirit1 because their perceptions1 taste1 and moral inclinations are as much opposed to each other as the purity of the ,divine nature is opposed to the impurity of the human4 ,it is now1 said the ,squire1 fifteen years since ,i lost my son4 ,it was a grievous affliction--one which has embittered life to me3 and if ,i could overcome the dread of death1 ,i should long to lie down in our family vault1 to rest in peace with the dead of past generations4 ,to lose a child1 ,i replied1 in the common course of nature1 must be a severe affliction to a parent2 but to lose an only son1 and in such a way as you lost yours1 must be a trial almost too heavy to be borne4 ,o1 ,sir1 it nearly bereft us of our senses2 and we have gone but little into company since4 ,there's his likeness1 pointing to a good painting hanging over the fireplace1 and it is a very correct one2 and here is his favourite dog1 which we have preserved2 but you see1 like his master1 his life is gone4 ,this is the end of man4 ,yes1 ,sir1 it is appointed unto man once to die1 and after death the judgment4 ,and it is this judgment after death which makes death so dreadful4 ,i have been preparing myself for my latter end ever since the death of my child2 and the more ,i think of its solemnity and importance1 the more ,i am alarmed4 ,we know what this life is2 but of the next life we have no knowledge2 and we know the beings with whom we now associate2 but who can form a conception of disembodied spirits8 ,the dread of death often operates as a spell on the happiness of life2 and brings down the wealthy and prosperous to a state of mental wretchedness1 equally deplorable with that of the destitute and forlorn4 ,sir1 said the ,squire1 with great emphasis1 fixing his eye on myself as he spoke1 it brings us lower1 because1 as we have stronger temptations to the love of life1 we have greater reluctance to resign it4 ,here we are distinguished by greater possessions1 occupy a more exalted station1 and have a greater variety of enjoyments at our command2 but we are not sure that we shall be even admitted into the kingdom of heaven when we die2 and1 for aught we know1 the same fate may await us which befel a certain rich man1 of whom we read in the ,bible4 ,that fact1 ,sir1 ,i replied1 is calculated to excite a high degree of terror in the breast of a rich man1 because it teaches us1 that ,god does not continue the line of distinction between the rich and the poor beyond this life4 ,the distinction1 ,sir1 may be preserved1 but it may be against us1 as poor ,lazarus was comforted1 while the rich man was tormented4 ,i have a servant1 who works for me in my garden1 on whom ,i often look with envy2 and if ,i could attain that composure in prospect of death which he possesses1 ,i would gladly exchange my mansion for his cottage4 ,i presume1 ,sir1 he is a religious man8 ,yes1 he is a religious man1 and so am ,i2 but he has the art of deriving consolation from his religion1 while ,i can derive none from mine4 ,but how is that8 ,is he a more learned or a more virtuous man than you are8 ,no1 ,sir2 he is virtuous1 and he is intelligent for a person in his rank of life2 but he says he does not derive any consolation from his virtue4 ,i presume1 ,sir1 he is a man of prayer8 ,yes1 and so am ,i1 though ,i use a form1 and he prays extempore--so ,i have heard4 ,i presume he attends a place of worship8 ,yes2 he now goes to the chapel which has lately been built in the village4 ,this is the only thing in his conduct ,i disapprove of4 ,i think we ought to keep to the ,church1 and not sanction this new religion1 which is overrunning the country4 ,but now1 suppose this new religion1 as you term it1 should be the very religion from which your gardener derives all his consolation against the fear of death1 would it not be an act of cruelty and of injustice if you were to attempt to deprive him of it8 ,but why can't he derive his consolations from the religion of the ,church of ,england8 ,then1 ,sir1 ,i replied1 why don't you8 ,you say that you have attended your parish church regularly for the last fifteen years1 and yet you are as much in dread of death as you were when you first entered within its doors4 ,very true2 there's a mystery about it which ,i can't unravel4 ,shall ,i explain it1 ,sir8 ,i wish you would2 and as it is a question which perplexes ,mrs4 ,bradley no less than myself1 ,i will fetch her1 if you will excuse me for a few minutes4 ,the ,squire soon returned1 accompanied by his lady1 who welcomed us to the ,hall1 with the greatest cordiality and politeness4 ,now1 ,sir1 said the ,squire1 if you will explain to us how it is our gardener derives that consolation against the fear of death from this new religion1 which we cannot derive from the good old religion of our forefathers1 you will confer a great favour1 and we shall esteem your visit the most agreeable one we have ever received4 ,in the first place1 ,i observed1 you have fallen into a mistake4 ,the religion of the chapel is not a new religion1 but the religion of the ,bible1 exhibited in a simple and popular form1 and does not differ from the doctrinal articles of the ,established church4 ,indeed1 ,sir4 ,why1 then1 my gardener and ,i profess the same faith4 ,but how is it he derives so much consolation from that which gives me none8 ,because1 to quote the language of the ,scripture1 he has been renewed in the spirit of his mind1 and has had the eyes of his understanding enlightened1 so that he is enabled to trace the connection between the facts of ,christianity and their application to his mind2 while you1 for want of this supernatural illumination1 admit the facts only1 without perceiving how they can1 or how they do1 produce the intended effect4 ,for example3 you admit that you are a guilty sinner in relation to ,god1 and under a sentence of condemnation1 which is the reason why you dread death2 and you admit that ,jesus ,christ died for sinners2 but you cannot perceive how it is that his death operates to remove guilt1 and to inspire a hope of eternal blessedness4 ,there is1 if ,i may use such an expression1 a palpable darkness intervening between the fact of human guilt1 and the fact of the ,saviour's death for its expiation1 which prevents your seeing how the latter does actually become the means of removing the former4 ,hence your faith in the death of ,christ does not give you that consolation of which you sometimes hear your pious gardener speak2 because1 for want of an adequate power of perception1 you cannot see how to apply its moral efficacy to your heart and conscience4 ,how to apply the moral efficacy of the death of ,christ to my heart and conscience6 ,why1 ,i was not aware that anything more was necessary1 on my part1 than simply admitting the fact of his death4 ,then what meaning can you affix to the language of the apostle--',god forbid that ,i should glory1 save in the cross of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by whom the world is crucified unto me1 and ,i unto the world8' ,but such is the spiritual darkness that rests on the human mind1 that the moral design of his death cannot be perceived without the illumination of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,why1 the prayers and liturgy of your own ,church most unequivocally recognize the necessity of this supernatural illumination4#bh #bh ,see vol4 i4 p4 #cac4 ,i never felt the necessity of this spiritual illumination to which you refer1 or most likely ,i should have sought after it4 ,i presume you would2 but your not feeling the necessity of it forms no valid objection against the necessity of it4 ,it may be necessary1 and yet you may not perceive it2 as the natural man1 according to the testimony of ,st4 ,paul--that is1 the man unaided by ,divine assistance--'receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god2 for they are foolishness unto him3 neither can he know them1 because they are spiritually discerned4 ,you have certainly opened a new path of inquiry before me2 and though ,i cannot at present see the need of any supernatural assistance to enable me to understand what ,i read in my ,bible1 yet1 if the necessity of it be clearly stated in ,holy ,writ1 ,i shall not hesitate to admit it4#bi ,but1 to advert to the religion of this village chapel1 am ,i to understand that the doctrines of the ,church of ,england are preached in it8 #bi ,the reader is referred to vol4 i4 p4 #bdi4 ,yes1 ,sir4 ,then they have not brought a new religion into the village8 ,no1 ,sir2 they have brought no new religion into the village1 but merely present the old religion of the ,bible and of ,protestantism in a new form4 ,and yet when they talk on religious subjects1 they employ a very different phraseology of speech from that which we have been accustomed to use4 ,very likely1 because they are more familiar with the phraseology of the ,scriptures than you are2 and they feel the power of religious truth on their heart more forcibly than you profess to do4 ,your religion1 if ,i judge from your conversation1 is the religion of opinion1 theirs of belief--yours of speculation1 theirs of principle--yours of forms and ceremonies1 theirs of knowledge and of feeling--yours of times and seasons1 theirs of habitual devotion2 and while you derive no consolation from the routine of duties which you perform1 they have peace with ,god through ,jesus ,christ4 ,i have heard1 said the ,squire1 that their religion makes them happy1 and raises them above the fear of dying--the great points ,i have been aiming to reach for fifteen years1 but ,i am as far off as when ,i first began the pursuit4 ,if1 ,sir1 you had been labouring under some physical malady for the space of fifteen years1 without deriving any benefit from the prescriptions of your regular family physician1 ,i presume you would call in other advice8 ,i have no doubt of it1 ,sir2 ,i should suspect his want of judgment4 ,why not1 ,sir1 act on the same principle1 on the more important question relating to your soul--its peace1 and its salvation8 ,your attendance at the church has been in vain4 ,why not dismiss your prejudices1 and go to the village chapel8 ,you have ocular demonstration1 that the people who worship there are happy1 and live in the anticipation of future happiness4 ,why not make the experiment1 which can subject you to no loss1 and may lead to a glorious issue8 ,we are slaves1 ,sir1 to prejudice4 ,yes1 we create our own tyrant1 and then yield to his iron sway6 ,what fools we all are6 ,i should not object1 said ,mrs4 ,bradley1 to go to the village chapel1 if ,i thought ,i could obtain any spiritual benefit4 ,i am weary of life4 ,i want something to bring peace to my heart4 ,make the experiment1 ,madam4 ,i feel inclined to do it2 but yet ,i have a strange reluctance4 ,i will venture1 said the ,squire1 and give a proof that ,i am sincere in my efforts to obtain the hope of salvation4 ,we now left the ,hall1 much pleased with our visit1 and bent our steps towards home4 ,it was a beautiful evening1 and as we passed along we were charmed by the varied notes of my favourite bird1 the thrush1 whose harmony was occasionally disturbed by the cawing of the rooks on their return from their daily pilgrimage4 ,we returned to the public road just as the sun was setting1 and while admiring the lustre which he threw around him on his departure1 ,i remarked to ,miss ,holmes1 what a fine emblem it presented of the dying ,christian1 whose pathway through life resembles the shining light1 which shineth brighter and brighter1 yet reserves its brightest splendour for its setting1 when a halo of glory encircles him as he disappears1 leaving spectators astonished and delighted more by the closing scene1 than by the progressive majesty of his course4 ,on ascending the slope leading to the entrance of the village1 a respectable looking man stepped out of a cottage by the roadside1 and on recognizing ,mrs4 ,newell and ,miss ,holmes1 with myself1 as a clergyman1 invited us to walk in4 ,his large ,bible was on the table1 and the family were preparing for evening worship4 ,after a little desultory conversation1 he begged that ,i would lead their devotions1 a request with which ,i gladly complied--reading a chapter of the ,bible and offering up a prayer4 ,i am happy1 ladies1 said the cottager's wife1 when service was concluded1 to see you in my house2 it is an honour which ,i have long coveted1 but never expected2 and we are much obliged to you1 ,sir1 for your kindness in praying for us this evening4 ,may the ,lord reward you4 ,and ,i am happy1 ,i replied1 that you have an altar of devotion erected in your family2 and ,i hope that your morning and evening sacrifices1 like those of the ,hebrew temple1 will regularly ascend before the ,lord of hosts1 and be accepted by him4 ,i was now agreeably surprised to find myself in the cottage1 and in the company of the gardener1 whose religion had been the subject of discussion at the ,hall4 ,we have just had1 ,i remarked1 a long and interesting conversation with the ,squire on religious subjects2 and we were much pleased with the seriousness of his manner1 and the eagerness with which he listened to our remarks1 but like many others1 he has no clear perception of the nature or design of the gospel of ,christ4 ,he is1 ,sir1 said the gardener1 a most singular man4 ,sometimes he is very devout--reads his ,bible with great attention1 and will often come to me in the garden1 to talk about religion1 and ,i have sometimes seen him so powerfully impressed by it1 that he has shed tears when speaking of the restless state of his mind2 but at other times he is equally gay and thoughtless1 and disposed to turn religion and religious people into ridicule4 ,he is very unhappy1 though he is very rich2 and has many good qualities1 though he is not a spiritual man4 ,i suppose1 ,i said1 you would not exchange your cottage for his mansion1 if you were obliged along with the exchange to part with your consolations and hopes8 ,o1 no1 ,i would not exchange situation and state with my master2 for ,i am happy1 but he is not--,i can think of death with composure1 but he dreads it--,i can look forward to eternity with delight1 but he shrinks back from its approach1 as a child would recoil in terror on seeing some hideous figure4 ,this pious gardener was the only son of a venerable elder of the ,scotch church1 who rented a small farm in the county of ,stirling4 ,he was a most industrious hard-working man2 and his wife was a pattern for economy and frugality4 ,for more than fifty years they lived together in the enjoyment of domestic happiness2 but just as they reached the evening of life1 they experienced a series of reverses1 and poverty advanced upon them as an armed man1 compelling them to give up their farm1 to be cultivated by other hands4 ,their son took a little cottage for them near the church in which his venerable father had worshipped ,god for many years2 and having acquired a scientific knowledge of horticulture1 he obtained1 through the medium of a friend1 his present situation at the ,squire's2 and to his honour he supported his aged parents till it pleased ,god to take them to himself4 ,when he came to ,england1 he was a moral but not a pious man2 nor did he feel the influence of the truth on his heart till after his marriage4 ,his wife was the daughter of a worthy man1 who gave her a superior education2 and to this the ,god of all grace had added the ornament of a meek and a devotional spirit4 ,by her chaste conversation1 and the influence of her example1 she won over her husband to the reception of the pure faith of ,christ2 and though1 like most others1 they have had the ebbings and flowings of prosperity and adversity2 yet1 to quote their own language1 goodness and mercy have followed them all the days of their life4 ,had the gardener's father remained exempt from misfortunes1 his son might have been living in the house in which he was born1 and cultivating the farm his father tilled for fifty years2 but then he had never seen his pious wife1 and might still have possessed only the form of religion4 ,that dispensation which came as the whirlwind and the storm1 to drive him from his home and his country1 led him at length to attain the blessings of contentment and peace4 ,thus we often see in the history of life1 disastrous events proving the precursors of personal and domestic happiness1 as the dark and tempestuous morning is not unfrequently followed by a serene and joyous evening2 exciting gratitude and love to the wise ,disposer of all human affairs1 in exchange for the perplexity and sorrow which they may have occasioned4 ,,the ,,pious ,,cottager4 ,after staying for about a week under the hospitable roof of ,mr4 ,newell1 ,i quitted ,thornwood1 to pay my long promised visit to the ,elms1 and was accompanied thither by ,miss ,holmes4 ,we had the gratification of finding all well on our arrival1 and ,i spent with my old friends a few days very pleasantly2 after which it was necessary for me to return home1 though much urged by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes to remain with them for a little time longer4 ,during my stay at the ,elms1 ,i more than once accompanied ,louisa to call on ,mrs4 ,kent1 in whom ,i felt much interested1 but who1 for some time past1 had been in a very feeble state of health1 and was now evidently hastening to her end4 ,the evening before my departure she rallied a little1 and on the ensuing ,sabbath felt herself so strong as to be able to walk to chapel1 at about a quarter of a mile's distance4 ,on ,monday1 however1 she was again obliged to return to her bed1 from which she never rose4 ,she now gradually sank1 and in the course of ten days peacefully expired4 ,her history1 and some incidents connected with her death1 will be found in the following letter from ,miss ,holmes to ,mrs4 ,loader3-- ,,the ,,elms1 #agth ,june1 #ah--4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,i have just sustained a great loss4 ,poor ,mrs4 ,kent died yesterday1 and ,i feel that ,i have indeed lost a friend4 ,you have often asked me to give you some particulars of her history1 and this ,i shall now endeavour to do4 ,she was left a widow when about the age of forty1 with four children1 almost entirely dependent upon her for support4 ,her husband1 who was a pious man1 died of a consumption2 the symptoms of which made their appearance within a few years after their marriage4 ,but as his outward man decayed1 his inner man was renewed day by day4 ,during his protracted illness1 though he had no raptures when anticipating his death1 and the glory to follow1 yet he was favoured with great composure2 and when the hour of his departure came1 he died in peace4 ,while he lived1 he and his wife had regularly attended the little ,dissenting chapel in the village1 and had always been allowed to do so unmolested1 but shortly after his death the steward of ,lord ,harwood informed his widow1 that unless she gave up her religious notions1 and went to the parish church1 she should not be allowed to remain any longer in her little cottage4 ,her reply to this unmanly and anti-,christian threat1 at once displayed the characteristic independence and firmness of her mind3--',as ,i would not give up my religion to please his ,lordship1 you cannot suppose that ,i will do it to please you1 ,sir4 ,you may turn me out of the cottage1 but my ,father1 who knows that ,i want a dwelling for myself and children1 will provide me with another1 over which you will have no authority4' ,as soon as this threat was known1 a very general murmur was expressed through the hamlet4 ,many1 indeed1 thought that it would not be carried into execution2 but a pious gentleman1 who felt a great respect for the memory of her husband1 and who knew that she would always live in terror1 while under the power of this petty tyrant1 built a little cottage for her on his own estate1 which she occupied1 free of rent1 till her death4 ,three of her children1 one after the other1 fell victims to their father's complaint1 and were all buried in the same grave4 ,she was a very industrious1 frugal1 and prudent woman2 greatly respected by her religious friends1 who1 much to their honour1 provided an ample maintenance for her1 when she became1 through infirmities1 unable to support herself4 ,her cottage1 which was built on a piece of rising ground1 within sight of the turnpike road1 was the neatest in the parish1 and bore1 in legible characters1 the following inscription3--',a refuge from persecution4' ,this memorial of his cruel spirit mortified the steward1 by exciting public attention2 and after smarting under it for some time1 he offered to make any apology to the widow1 on condition that it might be effaced4 ,she became his advocate with her landlord1 and the stone was removed2 but ere he had made the application1 ,lady ,harwood1 on riding past in her carriage1 having seen it1 was induced to stop1 and ask ,mrs4 ,kent why her cottage bore such a singular inscription4 ,the reason was given1 and when she informed his ,lordship1 on his return from the ,continent1 he felt so indignant1 that he sent for his steward1 and1 after a severe reprimand1 dismissed him from his situation4 ,i have spent many pleasant1 and ,i trust profitable hours in ,mrs4 ,kent's company2 and now she is gone1 ,i find the remembrance of our conversations a source of great consolation4 ,her knowledge of the ,bible was very accurate and extensive2 and the remarks which she sometimes made on different passages were pertinent and striking4 ,in her the word of ,christ dwelt richly2 it composed her perturbed feelings--induced a spirit of resignation to the will of ,god--opened before her the prospect of future bliss1 and supplied her with subjects of reflection and conversation1 which made her society a source of much improvement to others4 ,she was well qualified to guide the young ,christian1 amidst the perplexities which are apt to entangle his faith in the early stages of his experience1 and guard him from the fatal evils by which he is often surrounded in his passage through life4 ,to her conversation my sister ,jane is more indebted than to any other means of religious instruction2 and even ,emma would often gladly spend an hour in her society4 ,a few months ago her infirmities began to increase upon her2 but we were not alarmed by any symptoms of approaching dissolution1 till about a week before our visit to ,lynnbridge4 ,when sitting with her one fine spring evening1 listening to the song of the blackbird and the thrush1 ,i spoke of the bountiful provision which our heavenly ,father has made for our necessities and gratifications1 she replied in the beautiful language of the poet3 ',yes1 '----not content1 ,with every food of life to nourish man1 ,he makes all nature beauty to his eye1 ,and music to his ear4' ,but this is not the only provision he has made for us4 ,he is now preparing a place for us1 and soon he will come to receive us to himself4' ,on asking her if she had any fears in anticipation of the end of her faith1 she said-- ',i have had many1 but they are all gone1 and though ,i still have my spiritual trials1 yet ,i can anticipate the final issue with great composure4 ,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' ',you long to be gone1 ,i have no doubt8' ',i certainly long to see ,,him1 whom unseen1 ,i have loved for nearly fifty years1 because then ,i shall be like ,him2 but ,i am not impatient4 ,indeed1 ,i am not yet prepared to go1 for the ties which bind me to earth are not all broken4' ',then this earth still possesses some attractions8' ',yes2 ,i have enjoyed1 and do enjoy a large proportion of its comforts2 and though ,i have felt1 at times1 the storms of adversity1 yet ,i can say1 ',the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places2 yea1 ,i have a goodly heritage4' ,here ,i am1 in my calm retreat--far away from the noise of contention and strife--waiting patiently the great change2 and if the ,lord should be pleased to answer my prayers for the salvation of my dear son1 ,i should then say1 ',lord1 now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace1 according to thy word4' ',then you think your son is still living1 notwithstanding the report of his dangerous illness in the hospital at the ,cape8' ',yes1 ,i believe he is4 ,as ,abraham saw ,isaac in a figure rising from the dead1 so the ,lord gave me a somewhat similar vision1 the night after ,i received my son's letter4 ,i saw him leaving the hospital well1 though leaning on his staff1 and pale and wan1 as if just recovered from illness4 ,i have now only one painful trial4' ,presuming that she referred to the spiritual state of her son1 ,i remarked1 that parents must feel intense agony of mind1 in prospect of having their children separated from them in the eternal world4 ',i have not that prospect to distress me4 ,i have three already in heaven1 and ,i doubt not but the grace of ,god will ultimately reach the heart of my prodigal son4 ,i cannot doubt it4 ,it would be a sin to doubt it4 ,i have felt such a spirit of prayer come upon me at times1 on his behalf1 that ,i have wrestled for his conversion1 as ,jacob wrestled with the angel at ,peniel2 and though ,i have heard no voice saying to me1 ',it shall be unto thee even as thou wilt1' yet ,i have departed from the throne of grace in peace1 and found my faith strengthened with power from on high4 ,my faith is so strong and so uniform in its exercise1 that it has cast out fear from my heart2 and ,i can rejoice in prospect of meeting all my children in my ,father's house4' ,during my absence at ,lynnbridge her illness continued to increase1 and ,jane used frequently to call on her1 and take her some little comforts which her feeble state required4 ,on my return ,i took ,mr4 ----1 who was paying us a short visit1 to see her1 and she seemed to derive great comfort from his conversation and sympathy4 ,she now gained a little strength1 and in a day or two felt herself so much better as to be able again to go about1 and on ,sabbath actually walked to chapel4 ,the exertion1 however1 had been too much for her1 and on calling at her cottage on the ,monday forenoon ,i was grieved to learn that she had found herself so weak as to be obliged to return to bed4 ,i left with her a little wine1 which ,i had brought with me1 and called again to see her in the evening4 ,i perceived that ,i must now forego all hopes of her recovery1 as her strength was evidently sinking fast4 ,after some conversation regarding her bodily ailments1 she said to me1 ',i have been struggling through deep waters since your last visit1 and even now the swellings of ,jordan are rising higher and higher upon me2 and though ,i have not lost my anchor1 ,i have been tossed as upon the billows of the great deep4 ,i trust1 indeed1 all will be well at last2 but ,i now feel a terror in prospect of death1 which ,i never felt before4 ,i am now on the verge of eternity4 ,i shall soon1 very soon see ,god--the final sentence will soon be uttered2 and if ,i have been deceiving myself and others1 what will be my doom6' ',but1 my dear ,mrs4 ,kent1' ,i remarked1 'you should look back on your past life1 and think of the sacrifices which you have made for the cause of the ,redeemer1 and the numerous indications of his approbation which you have received4' ',i dare not look back1' she replied1 with great solemnity1 'unless it be to increase the intensity of the anguish which at times weighs down my soul1 for ,i have been an unprofitable servant1 and am one of the greatest of sinners that ever indulged a hope of entering into heaven4 ,look back6 no1 my dear4 ,i am obliged to 'lift up mine eyes unto the hills1 from whence cometh my help4' ,two days after this visit ,i again called1 and found her sitting up in her bed4 ,on extending her hand1 she said with great animation1 ',the storm is over1 and now the sun is shining upon my soul1 in his full noon-tide strength4 ,the bitterness of death is passed2 and ,i have nothing more to suffer1 except a few convulsive struggles1 which nature will feel1 when the moment of my departure comes4' ,then raising her hands and her eyes to heaven1 she burst forth into a strain of enraptured devotion4 ,i have preserved a few of her expressions1 which were principally quotations from the ,bible1 or ,watt's ,hymns2 but it is not in my power to portray the calm dignity of her countenance1 or the intense fervour of feeling with which she spoke4 ',blessed ,saviour6 thou art my ,redeemer6 ,thou hast borne my sins1 and carried my sorrows6 ,thou hast suffered the just for the unjust1 to bring me to ,god6 ,thou art the chief among ten thousand1 and altogether lovely6 ,thou art the author and finisher of my faith6 ,to thee do ,i yield myself1 to be redeemed from all evil--to be sanctified--to be presented faultless before thy ,father's glory with exceeding joy6 ,yes1 '----every smile of thine1 ,does fresh endearmonts bring2' and fixing her eyes1 as though she saw her ,lord1 she extended her arms1 and said1 ',haste1 my ,beloved1 fetch my soul1 ,up to thy bless'd abode1 ,fly1 for my spirit longs to see ,my ,saviour and my ,god4' ,i happened just then to turn my head to the window1 when ,i saw a soldier walking up the pathway in front of her cottage4 ,without thinking what ,i was saying1 ,i exclaimed1 ',here is your son1 ,mrs4 ,kent1 come back to you from the ,cape6' ,never shall ,i forget the scene which followed4 ',my son6--impossible6' ,we heard the latch of the door lifted up1 and a deep manly voice calling ',mother6' ,on that word reaching her ear1 his mother sprang up in her bed1 and exclaimed1 ',it is my son6' but her feelings were so strongly excited that she had not strength to restrain them1 and before ,i could return to her assistance1 she fell back1 and for some moments we thought her gone4 ,i felt her pulse1 but it had ceased to beat--her eyes were fixed--and while engaged with her faithful nurse in employing the usual means to restore suspended animation1 the door of her chamber was opened1 and her son entered with a smile on his countenance1 which was soon exchanged for the strong expressions of filial grief4 ,he saw what was the matter1 and forbore to speak1 but stepping gently to her bedside1 he kissed her1 and let fall a tear on her face4 ',how long has she been ill8' he inquired2 and just as these words were uttered1 we saw a slight motion of her hand1 and soon after she began to breathe softly4 ,on returning to consciousness1 her first impulse was to embrace her long lost child4 ,no words were uttered by them1 but a frequent interchange of the expressions1 ',my child6' ',my mother6' ,i withdrew to the window while they remained for many minutes locked in each other's embrace4 ,i then handed the dying saint a glass of wine1 which revived her2 and after reclining on the bosom of her son for some time1 giving vent to her feelings1 she became sufficiently composed to converse with him4 ',o mother1 ,i am sorry to find you in this state2 but you will get well soon1 ,i trust4' ',never while ,i remain in this world1 my dear son4 ,but ,i have every reason to be thankful4 ,god has always dealt graciously with me4 ,even in the midst of the greatest tribulation1 ,he has enabled me to sing1 ',bless'd is the sorrow1 kind the storm1 ,that drives me nearer home4' ,but this last expression of his kindness1 in permitting me to see you before ,i die1 is so unexpected1 that it is like a miracle wrought in answer to prayer4' ',o mother1' the soldier replied1 weeping as he spoke1 'your prayers have been the means of my salvation1 and ,i am thankful that your life has been spared till ,i could come and tell you of it4' ,she sat and listened with great interest to his account of his adventures4 ,while in hospital at the ,cape he was visited by a pious missionary1 to whose conversation he ascribed his conversion to ,god4 ',before ,i saw him1' he continued1 ',i had many qualms of conscience2 and was often terrified at the thought of death1 but never felt that ,i needed a ,saviour till he spoke to me4 ,his appeals were like an arrow shot through my soul1 and ,i could get no comfort till ,i prayed to ,jesus ,christ4' ,he paused to weep1 and we wept with him2 when he renewed his narration1 and after giving us a detailed account of his recent preservation during a violent storm on his return to ,england1 we knelt down1 and he commended the soul of his dying mother into the hands of the ,lord ,jesus1 after which ,i took my leave4 ,mrs4 ,kent remained for several days without undergoing any material change2 but on the eighth day after her son's return1 he called at the ,elms1 and said that his mother was not expected to live through the day1 and wished to see me4 ,i immediately went1 accompanied by my sister ,jane4 ,we found her in a most heavenly frame of mind4 ,after a conversation which lasted about half an hour1 ,i observed a sudden alteration in her countenance1 which convinced me that the time of her departure was drawing nigh4 ,she now sat for several minutes in perfect silence2 a death-like stillness pervaded the room1 and we all felt an awe on our spirits that seemed to betoken some great event4 ,she then raised her head1 and first expressed her gratitude to her nurse for her kind attention2 thanked me and ,jane for the few favours we had been enabled to show her2 and then taking the hand of her son1 she pressed it to her lips1 and said1 ',yes1 thou art a faithful ,god6 and as it hath pleased thee to bring back my long lost child1 and adopt him into thy family1 ,i will say1 ',now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace1 according to thy word3 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation2' then smiling1 she fell back on her pillow1 and with one deep sigh her gentle spirit passed away and left us4 ,thus lived1 thus suffered1 and thus died1 one of the ,lord's 'hidden ones1' set apart for himself1 to show forth his praise first here on earth1 and now for ever in the celestial world4 ,i am happy to say that ,i can now refer1 with some degree of satisfaction1 to dear ,emma1 in whose welfare ,i know you take a deep interest4 ,i speak with caution1 yet ,i think ,i can say there are some appearances1 which give us reason to hope1 that her afflictions are beginning to yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness4 ,she is now more frequently alone and with her ,bible2 still very reserved on the question of personal piety1 but references and allusions accidentally escape her lips1 which induce me to believe that the ,lord is gradually drawing her to himself4 ,dear creature6 she has passed through a sad ordeal1 but ,i trust she will yet be enabled to say with ,david1 ',it is good for me that ,i have been afflicted4' ,pray for her1 my dear friend1 and also for your attached ,,louisa4 ,,the ,,closing ,,scene ,,of ,,the ,,young ,,christian',s ,,career4 ,miss ,holmes1 as the reader has already been informed1 had suffered much in her health1 by the unfortunate marriage of her sister ,emma2 but her visit to ,lynnbridge had contributed greatly to her improvement1 and her parents now fondly hoped that she was in a fair way of recovery4 ,shortly after the death of ,mrs4 ,kent1 however1 she experienced a return of her former alarming symptoms1 and an eminent physician was consulted1 whose opinion1 though rather reservedly given1 was not of a very hopeful nature4 ,conscious herself of the extreme delicacy of her constitution1 and apprehensive that she had not long to live1 she now prudently declined an advantageous offer of marriage which she had received4 ,her suitor was ,mr4 ,alfred ,reed1 the only son of an intimate friend of her father's2 a young man1 about her own age1 decidedly pious1 and who was likely to come into the possession of a large fortune4 ,he had been bred to mercantile pursuits1 but eventually decided on entering the ,church4 ,his father opposed his inclination1 till1 being fully convinced that he was actuated by proper motives1 he cordially gave his consent4 ,he had passed through his examinations at ,cambridge with great distinction1 and was now spending the vacation at home1 preparatory to taking orders4 ,his person1 his manners1 and his profession combined to render him an acceptable suitor to ,miss ,holmes1 who united in her character the varied excellencies which are necessary to qualify a female to fill the important station of a clergyman's wife4 ,she was intelligent1 amiable1 discreet1 and zealous in the cause of religion and benevolence1 without the smallest tincture of ostentatious display4 ,her sense of duty1 however1 would not permit her1 in her present state of health1 to contract a union which might speedily be dissolved1 and involve her husband in much perplexity and grief4 ,by the advice of her medical man1 she was induced again to try a change of air as the best means of arresting the progress of her disorder4 ,after much deliberation it was decided to go to ,dawlish in ,devonshire1 both because they had so much enjoyed their former visits there1 and ,louisa preferred its retirement to the noise and gaiety of a more fashionable watering-place4 ,mr4 ,reed1 who still continued faithful in his attentions to her1 notwithstanding her refusal of his offer1 and still cherished the hope of his proposals being accepted1 on ,miss ,holmes' restoration to health1 was allowed1 at his earnest request1 to form one of the party4 ,he accordingly set out first1 to secure a suitable lodging1 and it was no small gratification to the family when they found he had taken the same house which they had occupied some years before4 ,as they had travelled by easy stages1 and had been favoured with pleasant weather1 ,miss ,holmes appeared much better on her arrival at ,dawlish than when she left the ,elms2 and she continued to improve so rapidly1 that all began to anticipate her entire convalescence4 ,her spirits1 which had at times been deeply depressed1 soon rose to the level of her accustomed cheerfulness2 and though the hectic flush occasionally added fresh beauty to the sweetness of her countenance1 yet1 as it did not return so often1 nor appear so deeply tinged by the florid hue as formerly1 it did not occasion any alarm4 ,on returning from a lovely walk1 as they passed the little chapel which benevolence raised for the accommodation of the ,christian pilgrim1 who thirsts for the pure water of life1 she facetiously remarked1 addressing herself to ,mr4 ,reed1 ,i presume1 ,sir1 we cannot calculate on your accompanying us to-morrow to this unadorned house of prayer4 ,why not1 ,miss ,holmes8 ,of course1 ,sir1 your clerical profession will lead you elsewhere6 ,i am happy to say1 that ,i am not ashamed to go to offer up my sacrifice of prayer and of praise in any place in which the ,god of salvation will condescend to accept it4 ,i prefer the village church to the village chapel1 most certainly2 but1 as ,i have no wish to become a dissenter1 ,i shall conform to the religious customs of the party during our visit4 ,a clergyman in a ,dissenting chapel6 ,the last wonder6 ,of course1 we must all be sworn to secrecy1 and keep our pledge1 or no bishop will ordain you4 ,there is no indisposition under which the human frame labours that assumes such a deceptive appearance as a consumption4 ,in its early stages it will often work so insidiously on the constitution1 that its subject is unconscious of its presence2 and even1 when it has advanced to a very considerable extent1 there are generally those intervals of vigour and vivacity1 that occasion sanguine expectations of a recovery to be entertained even to the last4 ,and it is during these seasons1 when the animal spirits return with great force--giving a degree of energy and activity which is regarded as an unequivocal proof of restored health1 that exertions are made by walking and by visiting1 which often accelerate the fatal issue4 ,to confine to the house the invalid1 who longs to breathe the fresh air1 or to keep her out of company1 when the pleasures of social intercourse relieve the spirits from languor1 is a task which the kindness of friendship cannot always perform2 and hence she is often permitted to run the risk of shortening her life by efforts which exhaust her strength2 or by exposures to the keen night air1 which give a fresh impetus to the disease4 ,it was during one of these intervals of renewed strength that ,miss ,holmes was induced to pay a visit to a family1 who resided about two miles off2 and though her father proposed to take her in a carriage1 she preferred walking4 ,she reached her friends' house without feeling fatigued2 after dinner enjoyed a ramble in the country2 and then1 having taken tea1 returned to ,dawlish4 ,it was a pleasant evening1 but the air was rather cold2 and though she bore the exertions of the day with great cheerfulness1 yet before she got home she began to feel exhausted4 ,on entering the drawing-room1 she threw herself on the sofa1 and said1 ,i fear ,i have gone beyond my strength4 ,after resting herself some time1 she retired for the night2 but when she awoke in the morning1 instead of rising at her usual hour1 she requested to have her breakfast in bed4 ,at noon she made her appearance amongst the family1 in apparently good spirits2 but her mother1 who had watched the progress of her disorder with deep anxiety1 felt alarmed on seeing the hectic flush on her cheek1 accompanied by an occasional cough4 ,towards the evening the height of her pulse was considerably increased2 the palms of her hands became dry and hot1 and she complained of being chilly4 ,these symptoms excited fresh alarm2 yet1 as they came on immediately after the fatigue of a long day's excursion1 her friends flattered themselves that they would go off when she had taken another night's rest2 but in this they were disappointed4 ,on the following morning they assumed a more threatening aspect2 her cough became more troublesome1 the pain in her side returned1 and though she appeared cheerful1 yet it was accompanied by an unusual gravity of look and manner4 ,at length it was judged expedient to call in a medical man1 who prescribed some medicines that afforded her a little temporary relief4 ,when asked for his opinion1 he said1 ,i do not despair of her recovery1 though she must be very cautious4 ,she must not exert herself beyond her strength1 nor yet expose herself to the night air4 ,the following letter1 written to her friend ,miss ,martin1 whom the reader will remember accompanying ,miss ,holmes to call on ,mrs4 ,kent1#cj exhibits the state of her mind at this critical period3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,mary1--,an all-wise ,providence has been pleased to guide my steps once more to ,dawlish1 where we expect to spend a few months4 ,in revisiting it again1 ,i naturally advert to that period of my life when ,i was living in a state of alienation from ,god--devoted to the pleasures and vanities of the world4 ,happy should ,i now be to ramble with you through this beautiful country1 and talk of ,him who lived and died for sinners2 but1 as that pleasure is denied me1 ,i will converse with you through a more circuitous medium4 ,you are aware that our journey here is mainly on my account4 ,on my arrival ,i grew much better1 and continued for some weeks to improve in my general health2 but a short time ago ,i caught a severe cold1 and have never been well since4 ,though my friends still cling to hope1 as the sinking mariner hangs on the broken plank of the vessel1 till the returning wave comes to drive him off1 ,i am now very apprehensive as to the result4 ,i know that my heavenly ,father can lengthen out the thread of my life1 and restore to full vigorous health the constitution which disease is gradually wasting away2 but ,i think ,he is about to remove me4 ,it costs1 indeed1 a hard struggle to view with composure the approach of death at my age1 and nothing could reconcile me to it but the hope of immortality by which ,i feel animated and sustained4 ,my ,alfred is with me1 and his kind attentions often depress me4 ,he is still anticipating the day when he shall lead me to the altar2 but alas6 fond youth1 ,i am marked out as a victim for the grave6 ,yes6 and though ,i still feel ,i love him1 yet ,i must give him up1 and all the prospects which open before me on this side the tomb1 to go and dwell with ,him whom unseen ,i love6 ,but 'thy will1 ,o my ,father1 be done6' ,though ,i have received the sentence of death1 ,i do not expect that it will be executed speedily4 ,no6 ,i shall not be taken till all are prepared to resign me2 and till every tie is loosened which now fastens my affections to 'things seen and temporal4' ,this is a kind provision which our heavenly ,father usually makes to afford some alleviation to the sorrow of surviving friends2 and to enable his children to retire from this vale of life1 without retaining any lingering desires for a longer continuance in it4 ,i have hitherto concealed from the eyes of others the most alarming symptoms of my complaint1 nor have ,i yet given them an intimation of my own opinion2 as ,i do not feel inclined to be at present the bearer of such heavy tidings4 ,they still try to amuse me with the visions of futurity1 and talk of my marriage with ,alfred1 and all its attendant circumstances1 as if length of days was appointed for me3 and though ,i feel conscious that a few months1 unless a miracle of mercy prevent1 will change the theme of social discourse1 yet ,i cannot bring my mind to the severe trial of attempting to banish these fond hopes and anticipations from others4 ,i am happy to inform you that my dear sister ,emma is become decidedly pious4 ,her severe afflictions have had a salutary effect2 and now1 being purified and softened by their influence1 she exhibits the features of the ,christian character in all their attractive loveliness4 ,her natural volatility and satirical humour are now transformed to chastened vivacity and the sportive sallies of innocent wit4 ,i need not say how much ,i should enjoy your company at ,dawlish1 if you could make it convenient to pay us a visit2 but as that is too great an indulgence for me to expect1 you will not refuse me the gratification of hearing from you as soon as possible4 ,all here join me in kindest love to you1 and your ,papa and ,mamma1 who1 ,i trust1 are both enjoying their usual good health4--,i am1 yours most affectionately1 ,,louisa4 #cj ,vol4 ii4 p4 #big4 ,to this letter ,miss ,martin returned the following reply3-- ,,london1 #aeth ,september1 #ah--4 ,,my ,,dear ,,louisa1--,i received yours of the #ajth1 but it is not possible for me to describe the impressions which it produced on my mind4 ,i alternately wept tears of sorrow and of joy2 and though that overpowering excitement1 which its first reading produced1 has somewhat subsided1 yet ,i feel almost incapable of replying4 ,and is the wise ,disposer of all events about to remove you from amongst us8 ,and have you1 at such a comparatively early period of the spiritual contest1 fought the good fight of faith1 and gained the crown which fadeth not away8 ,if so1 ,i will say1 ',happy1 thrice happy saint6' thou art highly favoured of the ,lord6 ,yes1 you will soon see the ,king in his beauty1 and mingle your notes of praise with the multitude around his throne6 ,you will soon partake of the fulness of joy1 in which the spirits of the just made perfect participate6 ,but how can we give you up8 ,how can we take this cup of sorrow without praying that it may pass from us8 ,how can we offer up the prayer1 ',thy will1 ,o ,father1 be done on earth1 even as it is done in heaven1' without feeling it quiver on our lips as we attempt to utter it8 ,i now find that entire resignation to the ,divine will1 when those objects are placed in jeopardy on which our affections are strongly fixed1 is an attainment which ,i have not yet acquired2 and though ,i doubt not but the grace of ,christ will be found sufficient for its full display1 when the day of trial comes1 yet1 at the present moment1 ,i am bowed down with so much heaviness of soul that ,i cannot give vent to my feelings4 ,what a contrast do you exhibit6 ,while ,i am restless1 under the agitations of fear1 you are calm1 in the anticipations of hope6 ,while ,i am praying that you may still be detained amongst us1 to share our joys and our sorrows1 you are fluttering on the wings of eager expectation1 ready to say1 as you soar away from us1 ',weep not for me1 but weep for yourselves4' ,happy spirit6 ,indeed1 my dear ,louisa1 your sweet composure at this awful crisis--your bright anticipations1 viewed in connection with your attachment to your friends around you1 have given me such an exalted opinion of the efficacy of the ,christian faith to sustain the human spirit on the great occasions of its history1 that ,i am not so much astonished at your tranquil joy1 as ,i am at my own timid misgivings2 and though ,i still hope ,i possess the faith which is the evidence of things not seen1 yet in me it is small1 like the grain of mustard seed1 while in you it resembles the wide-spreading tree1 beneath whose branches you rest in safety4 ,as you1 my dear ,louisa1 when drawing nearer the closing scene1 may be subjected to the influence of the fears which not unfrequently disturb the peace of the dying ,christian1 ,i have taken the liberty of sending you an extract from a very interesting memoir1 which ,i have just read with great pleasure1 and which1 with a degree of precision we rarely meet with in theological works1 points out the difference between faith and hope4 ',this difference1' the writer justly observes1 'is not always sufficiently attended to2 and much presumption on the one hand1 and despondency on the other1 have arisen from confounding them4 ,one person considers himself a believer of high attainments1 because he entertains no doubt of his being in a state of salvation2 and another doubts whether he be a believer at all1 because he cannot persuade himself that his sins are forgiven4 ,but it is obvious that two distinct and very different acts of the mind are here confounded and blended together2--one1 which assents to the fact of ,jesus ,christ being the only and all-sufficient ,saviour of sinners2 and which places a reliance on the atoning sacrifice1 for pardon of sin and acceptance with ,god1 which is the province of faith2 and another1 which appropriates to itself the blessings of this salvation1 and confidently expects a future state of felicity1 which is the province of hope4 ,now1 it is clear that these persuasions of the mind may exist separately from each other2 and that one of them may be very strong1 whilst the other has scarcely any existence at all4 ,st4 ,paul clearly recognizes this distinction1 when he offers up a prayer for the ,romans1 that the ,god of hope would fill them with all joy and peace in believing4 ,it is here implied that genuine faith may exist without either joy or peace2 and by addressing his prayer to 'the ,god of hope1' he remarks that joy and peace are the fruits of hope1 and are distinct blessings to be superadded to the grace of faith4' ,i regret that it is not in my power to visit you at ,dawlish1 but ,i assure you that ,i have you in my remembrance1 when bowing before the ,god and ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 and while ,i pray that you may yet be spared to us1 ,i do not forget to pray1 that if you are to be removed1 you may be favoured with a joyful entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,you will present my kind affection to your dear parents1 and your sisters4--,your affectionate friend1 ,,mary4 ,the alarming symptoms which immediately followed this return of ,miss ,holmes' disorder1 suddenly disappeared1 and she was once more restored to comparative health1 though it was evident to all her friends that the vigour of her constitution was greatly impaired4 ,she was again permitted to resume her rambles1 and to breathe the genial air of ,dawlish1 which once more enlivened her spirits4 ,as she now felt able to endure the fatigues of exertion1 she was induced to comply with the wishes of her kind friends in the country1 to pay them another visit4 ,she rode there and back1 and cautiously avoided running any risk1 either by too much exertion1 or by any exposure to damps or cold4 ,on reaching home1 she changed her dress1 and soon after retired to rest2 but on awakening in the morning1 felt a hoarseness1 accompanied by a slight fever4 ,she remained within for several days1 but on the following ,sabbath1 felt so much better that she ventured to go to chapel1 where she commemorated the death of the ,redeemer4 ,this religious service she afterwards spoke of as one of the most impressive and the happiest of her life4 ,when adverting to it1 in a letter which she wrote to ,mrs4 ,loader1 she observed1 ,i have often felt a great degree of solemnity and delight when receiving the sacramental memorials of the ,saviour's death2 but last ,sabbath1 at chapel1 ,i felt a joy which was unspeakable and full of glory4 ,when the minister repeated the memorable words1 ',this do in remembrance of me1' ,i could not refrain from saying1 in the language of ,dr4 ,watts1 ',why was ,i made to hear his voice1 ,and enter while there's room2 ,while thousands make a wretched choice1 ,and rather starve than come8' ,i think ,i have more than once alluded1 in my free correspondence with you1 to my ceaseless dread of self-deception2 and this makes me hesitate to ascribe to a supernatural operation1 the religious impressions and tendencies of my heart2 yet1 on this occasion1 ,i could respond to the following declarations with perfect composure3-- '',twas the same love that spread the feast ,that sweetly forced me in2 ,else ,i had still refused to taste1 ,and perished in my sin4' ,till that morning a gloomy shade always darkened my prospects of the future2 but then the true light shone into me with such a bright radiance1 that ,i abounded in hope through the power of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,i retired from the hallowed service refreshed and invigorated2 and in the evening1 when denied the privilege of returning to the house of prayer1 ,i made a more solemn surrender of myself to ,god1 than at any former period4 ,what scenes of wonder opened to my view6 ,the ,lord of life and glory expiring on the cross6 ,the high and lofty ,one condescending to admit a sinful creature into his presence6 ,the ,saviour making intercession for me6 ,the gay and the thoughtless may pour contempt on the sublime pleasures of devotion1 and rush for happiness into a world which abounds with evil2 and under the spell of a fatal illusion1 may imagine they have found it4 ,but our joys would be ill exchanged for theirs2 and though it may not be in our power1 while encompassed with the infirmities of our nature1 to perpetuate the vivid impressions which we sometimes receive1 yet they serve to demonstrate the superlative value of the faith which originates them2 and may also tend to inspire within our breast an intense longing for that fulness of joy in which the spirits of the just made perfect are allowed to participate in the heavenly world4 ,a few days after ,louisa's visit to the chapel1 the symptoms of her complaint returned with renewed violence4 ,the physician was again sent for1 and on entering the room1 she said1 with a smile on her countenance1 ,i am happy to see you1 ,sir2 but ,i am now convinced that my disorder is beyond your power to remove4 ,perhaps not4 ,yes1 ,sir1 it is2 ,god can restore me if he please1 but ,i do not expect it4 ,he sat and conversed with her about a quarter of an hour1 and then left her4 ,pray1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,holmes1 what is your opinion8 ,she is very ill1 ,madam4 ,do you think it is a confirmed consumption8 ,i do4 ,i fear the disease has made great progress4 ,do you think that a longer continuance in the country will prove beneficial to the dear sufferer8 ,to be candid1 ,madam1 ,i do not think that it is in the power of human means to arrest the progress of the disease1 though a judicious course of management may greatly alleviate her sufferings4 ,do you think1 ,sir1 she can be removed without much inconvenience to herself8 ,she may1 in the course of a few days1 when her strength rallies2 but ,i am clearly of opinion1 that if you wait much longer1 it will be impossible to remove her4 ,this information came as a death-blow to the hopes of all the family4 ,mrs4 ,holmes1 with ,jane and ,emma1 sobbed aloud4 ,a more silent though not less poignant grief marked the countenances of her father and ,mr4 ,reed4 ,if she must die1 said her father1 she had better be taken home to die4 ,my ,louisa die6 ,my dear ,louisa die6 said ,alfred1 clasping his hands in an intensity of anguish1 ,and must she die8 and must she be taken from me8 ,at length he became more composed1 when informed by ,mrs4 ,holmes that ,louisa had just awaked out of a sweet sleep1 much revived1 and wished to see him4 ,the family sat conversing together the whole of the evening1 and arranged the plan for returning to the ,elms1 whither they determined to proceed immediately4 ,for the space of a fortnight after her return home1 ,miss ,holmes continued to improve so rapidly in appearance that the hope of life began to beam once more upon all except herself4 ,at this time she wrote the following letter to ,miss ,martin1 who had now gone with her parents to ,hastings for a short period3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,mary1--,a kind ,providence has permitted me to see the ,elms once more1 and once more to commune with my absent friend from my own room1 a privilege which ,i could not have anticipated a few weeks since4 ,after the reception of your kind letter1 my disorder took a turn1 and we again thought that the bitterness of death was passed2 but in the midst of our joy the symptoms reappeared1 and ,i was brought near to the grave4 ,i have again revived1 but it is only to protract my course for a little time longer4 ,i may live through the winter1 and ,i may live to see another spring opening with all its beauties1 but ,i do not expect it4 ,the symptoms of death are upon me4 ,the silver cord is broken1 and my affections are dying off from earth4 ,i am beginning to feel as a stranger amongst my most endeared friends and relatives2 and though their sorrows excite my sympathy1 yet ,i have no wish to remain here longer4 ,no6 ,i hear a voice they do not hear1 and see a form of beauty they cannot see4 ,i long to depart4 ,i can look through my window on the walks which wind round our shrubbery1 without wishing to retrace my former footsteps4 ,i can muse on the pleasures which ,i have enjoyed in the social circle1 without desiring to taste them again4 ,i still feel that ,i am a sinner--an unworthy sinner2 my perceptions of the evil of sin are more clear and affecting than at any former period of my life2 and at times ,i am almost overwhelmed by the indescribable manifestations of the ,divine purity2 but it hath pleased ,god to impart to me corresponding views of the efficacy of the precious blood of ,christ1 so that ,i have no fears ruffling my peace4 ,i am entering the valley1 but it is not dark3 nor do ,i hear any sounds but those of ,mercy's voice4 ,the enemy has not yet been suffered to stir up his strength against me1 nor have ,i been once tempted to mistrust either the fidelity of the ,saviour1 or his willingness to save me4 ,i thank you for the extract which you sent me4 ,it defines the essential difference between faith and hope with great accuracy and precision2 but ,i have now done with all human compositions4 ,the only book ,i now read is the ,bible4 ,this is the fountain from whence ,i now draw the pure water of life2 and though ,i feel thankful for the writings of those good men which have contributed to my spiritual improvement and consolation1 yet1 like withered flowers1 they have lost their beauty and their fragrance4 ,i do not think that ,i should have preferred any other period of my existence for my departure1 to the present1 even if ,i had been permitted to choose4 ,if ,i had been taken earlier1 ,i should have left some of my relatives in the gall of bitterness2 and if spared longer1 ,i might have left some hapless children2 but now ,i can embrace all as fellow-heirs of the grace of life1 who are nearly allied to me by the ties of nature1 and ,i can quit the world without leaving any chasm which may not soon be closed4 ,my friends will weep over my grave1 but the hope of a re-union in a better world will mitigate the violence of their sorrow2 and soon the days of their mourning will be ended1 and earth will be exchanged for heaven4 ,farewell1 my dear friend2 but only for a season4 ,we are soon to be separated1 but we shall meet again4 ,with kind remembrance to all4--,your dying friend1 ,,louisa4 ,miss ,holmes had now another relapse1 which destroyed all hope of her recovery4 ,addressing her mother1 who was communicating1 in a low voice1 to ,mr4 ,reed the opinion of the physician1 she said1 ,you need not whisper1 ,i have long known that ,i should not recover2 and now you know it1 let us converse together as those who are on the eve of parting4 ,i have long feared it1 said ,mrs4 ,holmes1 though ,i have been unable to express my fears4 ,but why1 my dear ,mamma1 should you fear it8 ,death has lost its sting4 ,the grave has lost its gloom4 ,i am merely preceding you1 and preceding you under the most auspicious circumstances4 ,then has my dear ,louisa no dread of death8 ,no4 ,i have outlived that dread of dying which once bowed down my spirits2 and can smile on the king of terrors1 who now appears transformed into an angel of deliverance4 ,but have you1 said ,mr4 ,reed1 no wish to live8 ,i had1 ,alfred1 but now ,i have not4 ,i once wished to live to share your sorrows and your joys1 and animate you in the discharge of your sacred duties2 but now ,i wish to depart and be with ,christ1 which is far better4 ,on seeing her mother and sisters weep1 she said1 ,i am not surprised by your tears1 because1 if either of you were in my place1 ,i should weep4 ,i know that nature must give vent to her feelings2 but you cannot expect me to weep4 ,weep ,i cannot1 unless ,i shed the tear of grateful joy4 ,no6 ,my days of weeping are passed away2 and soon my days of suffering will be over4 ,though her disease had been for some time making rapid progress towards the fatal issue1 her spirits were yet buoyant1 and occasionally she was as energetic and cheerful as in former days4 ,one evening1 when the family were sitting with her1 she talked with a vivacity and fluency which induced them to hope that she might be spared to them for some months1 if not years longer4 ,while indulging these expectations1 they were aroused from their reverie by the sudden entrance of ,emma1 who brought her the following letter1 from her friend ,mrs4 ,loader1 which the postman had just delivered3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,the affectionate letter which ,i have just received from dear ,emma1 brings the mournful intelligence of your relapse1 and that now all hope of your recovery has vanished away4 ,this intelligence1 though mournful to others1 is not1 ,i am thankful to hear1 a cause of sorrow to yourself4 ,you are now on ,pisgah1 with the dreary wilderness behind you2 and the goodly land of promise in view1 overshadowed by no darkening cloud4 ,my sympathies ,i reserve for others2 to you1 ,i offer my congratulations4 ,the contest is over2 the victory is won1 and ere long you will receive the fadeless crown of immortality4 ,in a few weeks or days1 you1 who are now an inhabitant of earth1 will be a glorified spirit1 beholding the face of the ,holy ,one1 and uniting with the saints in heaven in the grand chorus of adoration and praise4 ,what you will then feel1 on looking back on the scene through which you are now passing2 or how you will give expression to your thoughts and emotions1 is beyond all power of conjecture2 but it is sufficient to be assured that you will be perfectly happy1 and released from all earthly cares and anxieties4 ,happy spirit6--happy1 because redeemed2--happy1 because brought in safety to the end of your pilgrimage2--and happy1 now that the shadow of death is flitting across your path--the visible sign of the coming of your ,lord1 to take you to himself4 ,adieu1 my much-loved friend1 but not for ever2 the hope of a re-union sustains the dying and the living4 ,we shall weep when you are rejoicing with the spirits of the just amid the unfading glories of the celestial world4 ,the ,lord be with you4 ,again ,i say adieu1 my much-loved friend2 but only for a season4 ,my love and sympathy to all the dear members of your family4--,ever yours1 ,e4 ,,loader4 ,miss ,holmes read this letter1 shed a few tears1 and then presented it to ,emma1 saying1 ,when the crisis is over1 acknowledge for me receipt of it2 and tell ,mrs4 ,loader what pleasure it gave me4 ,the tide of life was now rapidly ebbing2 and on her father entering her room1 a few days after receiving ,mrs4 ,loader's letter1 she stretched forth her hand1 and said1 ,i hope you are prepared to resign me1 for ,i have not long to be with you4 ,i have had1 he replied1 a hard struggle to do it2 but the ,lord has at length enabled me to say1 ',even so1 for so it seemeth good in thy sight4' ,i am glad to hear it2 and ,i hope you will all be enabled to feel the same resignation to the ,divine will4 ,i wish you would now pray with me1 that ,i may be strengthened in my soul to endure the last struggle4 ,when this hallowed and deeply affecting exercise was ended1 she reclined her head on the pillow1 and slept for two hours4 ,when she awoke1 she rose up in her bed1 and casting a smile on all around her1 said1 ,my sleep has refreshed me4 ,after giving a few directions respecting her funeral1 she delivered the keys of her desk1 c41 to her mother1 with a request that she would distribute the few trifling presents she had marked for her friends1 and then added1 ,now ,i have done with earth4 ,come1 ,lord ,jesus1 come quickly6 ,as she gave utterance to this prayer1 her countenance beamed with an indescribable glow of rapture1 and with a gentle bending of the neck1 she bid all farewell1 her lips distinctly articulating1 ,precious ,saviour6 thou art come1 as they were closing in perpetual silence4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the sketch which ,i have exhibited of ,miss ,holmes' character and religious experience1 has been taken from real life2 and though on some points her experience may differ from that of the pious reader1 yet that circumstance will not diminish the degree of interest which may be felt on examining it4 ,we see what human nature is1 even with all the advantages of a pious education1 before the great spiritual change takes place2 we see the process which is observed in the production of this change--the evidences by which it is attested--the various and the numerous conflicts which the subject of it has to encounter1 while passing through this vale of tears--and the influence which a pure faith in the efficacy of the atonement has in sustaining the mind in affliction1 and in the prospect of death4 ,and who can turn away from such a scene1 without wishing to be made a partaker of the like precious faith8 and without exclaiming1 ,let me die the death of the righteous8 ,compare ,miss ,holmes' character with that of the devotee of fashion2 compare the uniform tranquillity of her mind1 after she had obtained peace with ,god through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 with the restless uneasiness which agitates the gay2 compare her death with the death of the thoughtless and the trifling1 and what will be the result8 ,what6 a firm conviction must be produced1 that the religion of the ,scriptures1 when it is brought to operate on the human mind1 does more to elevate and refine it1 and prepare it for its final destiny1 than all the discoveries of science1 all the speculations of philosophy1 or all the boasted triumphs of reason4 ,this is a fact1 which is not merely supported by opinion1 but also by the evidence of experience and testimony2 and though it may not excite that degree of attention which its importance demands1 yet the period may not be far distant when the reader will feel the force of it4 ,yes1 the hour may not be far distant1 when you may be called away from that circle in which you are now moving1 and from those scenes of pleasure which now captivate and hold you in subjection2 to bid farewell to lover and to friend1 and let go your hold of life4 ,yes1 the hour may not be far distant1 when you will feel yourself entering an eternal world1 when the solemnities of the final judgment will open upon you in all their awful grandeur1 and when conscience1 roused from her long repose of guilty quietude1 will speak to condemn4 ,yes1 the hour may not be far distant1 when the raptures of bliss1 or the agonies of despair1 will be yours1 and yours for ever4 ,and will you remain in a state of indifference1 while such solemn events are at hand8 ,will you pass on to meet them1 as though they were cunningly devised fables8 ,can no argument produce a conviction of your danger1 and can no motive induce you to avoid it8 ,will you resolutely withstand all the efforts which are made to save you from going down to death unprepared to meet your ,god8 and as resolutely devote yourselves to the follies and the amusements of the world1 as though you were to live for ever8 ,god forbid6 ,but ,i hope that the intelligent reader has felt that moral renovation of heart1 without which all the attainments of the purest morality will prove unavailing2 and is looking for pardon and eternal life through faith in the death and mediation of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,if so1 though you may have your occasional fears respecting your personal interest in him2 though you may often dread1 lest at some future period1 the deep impressions under which you now labour should be effaced from your mind2 and though you may even start back from the approach of death1 as from the visitations of a destroying angel1 yet ,he who has begun the good work will carry it on--,he who has drawn you into fellowship with himself will perpetuate it--,he who has inclined you to hope in his mercy will sustain that hope in the final hour1 and give you a peaceful entrance into the joy of your ,lord4 ,go1 then1 to the footstool of the ,divine throne1 and there offer up the sacrifice of praise to ,him who has made you alive from the dead1 and yield yourself unto ,god1 and your end will be everlasting life4 ,you may be reproached for such an act of decision--you may be contemned--you may excite the pity of some1 and the sarcasm of others2 but you will not repent the course you have taken1 especially when your latter end approaches4 ,reflecting1 then1 on your past career in the world you are just quitting1 and directing your anticipations forward to that on which you are entering1 you will feel an elevation of soul which no remembrances can depress1 and without a sigh of regret1 or emotion of fear1 will close your eyes in peace4 ,and when the conflict is over1 and you have gained the prize of immortality--when you have undergone the anticipated assimilation to the likeness of ,god1 and are as perfect in purity and knowledge as in blessedness--beholding the person and the glory of the dear ,redeemer--uniting with the innumerable multitude around his throne1 in their anthems of adoration and praise--you will then feel1 that in being a redeemed sinner1 you have experienced greater manifestation of ,divine favour and love1 than if you had been created from the first an angel of the highest order4 ,and in your then glorified state you will often advert to your earthly sojourn--to your sins and to your sorrows--retracing the mysterious path of your ,christian course1 with the ineffably joyful consciousness pervading your heart1 that you have not again to suffer1 or to sin2 that you have not again to pass through death's dark vale1 or again to dread the possibility of perishing2 but to live for ever in the full enjoyment of unmingled happiness4 ,then1 with what emotions of gratitude will you adore and bless ,god for having made you1 when in this world1 refrain from following the example of the gay and thoughtless2 who1 alas6 will then be where the voice of mercy is never heard1 and where the light of hope never dawns6 ,,the ,,happy ,,marriage4 ,during all this time that has elapsed1 what has become of our friends at ,fairmount8 ,the reader has now probably conjectured from the account of my visit to ,fairmount at ,christmas1#ca that a marriage would ere long take place between ,mr4 ,lewellin and ,miss ,roscoe4 ,it had been arranged in a subsequent visit paid by ,mr4 ,lewellin at ,easter1 that the wedding should take place in the following ,june1 and preparations were already made for the joyful occasion1 at which ,i was invited to be present4 ,on returning to ,london1 however1 to adjust some business matters1 ,mr4 ,lewellin found to his dismay1 that an affair of great importance1 which even threatened the stability of the mercantile house with which he was connected1 required him immediately to proceed to ,australia4 ,the disappointment and vexation thus occasioned to the youthful lovers may be conceived1 but there was no alternative1 and the wedding was accordingly postponed to the following spring1 by which time it was hoped that the bridegroom would have returned4 ,unfortunately1 however1 the business which required ,mr4 ,lewellin's attention at the ,antipodes1 proved of so tedious and protracted a nature1 that instead of reaching home in the spring1 as he expected1 nearly two years elapsed before he could return to his native country4 ,in the interval poor ,miss ,holmes1 ,miss ,roscoe's attached friend1 died1 as ,i have narrated in the foregoing chapter1 and her loss was deeply felt by ,sophia4 ,during ,miss ,holmes' last illness1 ,miss ,roscoe was on a tour in ,italy with her father and mother2 and though her friend had been suffering from a severe cold when she quitted ,england1 ,sophia had no idea of the fatal issue to which this would lead1 and frequently anticipated1 during her travels1 the pleasure with which1 on her return1 she would describe to ,louisa the beautiful scenery and objects of interest she had seen while abroad4 ,as ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,roscoe and ,sophia travelled much in ,italy1 seldom staying long in one place1 their correspondence with their friends in ,england was very irregularly maintained1 and1 consequently1 no tidings of ,miss ,holmes' illness reached them2 and it was not till passing through ,london1 on their return from the ,continent1 that they learned1 to their grief and dismay1 that ,louisa had expired about a fortnight previously4 ,before proceeding to ,watville1 they paid a visit to the ,elms1 and did their utmost to console the bereaved family4 ,they were also very urgent in pressing ,emma and ,jane to pay them a visit1 which the feelings of the latter would not permit them to do at the time1 but they expressed their readiness to do so as soon as their minds were somewhat more composed4 #ca ,vol4 i4 p4 #edd4 ,not long after ,miss ,roscoe's return home1 her spirits were most unexpectedly revived by the arrival of ,mr4 ,lewellin1 who having brought his business to a satisfactory termination1 had immediately thereafter stepped on board ship and reached ,england1 a few days before the letter which he had sent to announce his return4 ,the joy of the youthful pair at meeting again1 after so long a separation1 is more easily imagined than described4 ,preparations were now made for the consummation of their union1 at which ,i was earnestly invited to be present1 but the multiplicity of my pastoral engagements prevented me from doing so1 much to my regret4 ,i1 however1 readily promised to pay a visit at ,fairmount as soon as the married couple should have returned from their wedding tour4 ,at first it had been decided that the young people should settle in the vicinity of ,london1 and that ,mr4 ,lewellin should continue his mercantile pursuits as formerly1 but this plan was ultimately abandoned4 ,i presume1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe to ,mr4 ,stevens1 when they met to adjust the final arrangements1 that your nephew will inherit your property1 as my daughter will inherit mine1 when it shall please ,god to remove us to a better world2 and if so1 ,i think they will possess a fortune quite large enough1 without running the risk of losing any part of it by the speculations of commerce1 and without encumbering themselves with the difficulties and anxieties necessarily attendant on them4 ,this question1 replied ,mr4 ,stevens1 has often engrossed my attention1 and ,i am happy to find that our sentiments on it coincide4 ,while ,mr4 ,stevens and ,mr4 ,roscoe were thus debating this grave subject1 and determining what income they would portion off for the young people1 they were disturbed by the sudden entrance of ,mr4 ,lewellin and the ladies1 who were ignorant of the point under discussion4 ,you two gentlemen look very grave1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens2 one would almost suppose that you have been discussing some question in which the destinies of ,europe are involved4 ,no1 ,madam1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 we have not been agitating any such question1 but another1 if not of equal importance1 yet of equal interest to you4 ,and what may that be1 ,sir8 ,i see your curiosity is awakened2 but cannot you restrain it for a few hours1 till you can coax your husband to gratify it8 ,why1 ,sir1 a woman very naturally feels anxious to know what1 when known1 will deeply interest her2 and though you gentlemen sometimes practise the art of tantalizing1 yet you must admit1 that we can easily get at your secrets4 ,when together1 you can keep up the game2 but when you separate1 you give up the prize4 ,you glory in your strength1 when supported by each other's courage2 but alone1 you soon surrender4 ,ah6 so it is2 we1 the lords of the creation1 are compelled to pay tribute4 ,of course1 ,sir1 tribute to whom tribute is due4 ,to ,csar1 ,madam6 ,and to ,csar's wife1 ,sir4 ,i see you are restless2 and as ,i have too much compassion to keep you on the rack1 ,i will announce in due form the question which we have been agitating4 ,it is this--,shall your nephew and my daughter1 after a certain event takes place1 go to reside near ,london1 or shall they reside near us8 ,a question1 ,i presume1 ,sir1 no less interesting to you than myself4 ,equally so1 ,madam4 ,and how have you decided it1 ,sir8 ,we have come to no decision2 but we should prefer their settling near us1 rather than going so far away4 ,i am happy to hear you are of that opinion2 it completely coincides with my own views4 ,i was always averse to ,george and ,sophia being settled at a distance from us4 ,the reader will no doubt remember ,miss ,denham1 whose death ,i narrated in a previous part of the book4#cb ,her mother did not long survive the melancholy event2 and ,mr4 ,denham1 being now left alone1 soon sank into a morbid melancholy1 which embittered his last days4 ,he had outlived nearly all the companions of his youth2 followed those to the grave who were to have inherited his property2 and after languishing in a state of mental gloom and depression for several years1 he bowed his head and gave up the ghost4 ,his property1 which consisted principally of land1 he ordered to be sold1 and the proceeds to be divided amongst his poor relations1 with the exception of a small estate which he bequeathed to an intimate friend4 ,mr4 ,roscoe became the purchaser of one of his estates1 which was situated in the parish of ,broadhurst1 not far from ,mr4 ,ingleby's rectory2 and as the gentleman who had rented it had just resolved on removing to a more distant part of the country1 ,mr4 ,roscoe deemed it a most eligible location for the young people4 ,it consisted of a good house1 very pleasantly situated1 with about eighty acres of arable and pasture land1 well wooded and watered4 #cb ,vol4 i4 p4 #dba4 ,when it was known that ,mr4 ,roscoe had made this purchase1 ,farmer ,pickford called on him with the view of obtaining a lease of it for his son ,harry4 ,i hear1 ,sir1 as how you have bought one of the farms belonging to ,mr4 ,denham2 and ,i have made so bold as to call and say1 ,i can get you a goodish sort of a tenant if you should want one4 ,one that will do justice to the land1 and no mistake4 ,and who is it you have been thinking of8 ,my son ,harry4 ,he'll make as good a farmer as his father1 and that is saying a good deal2 though1 perhaps1 ,i shouldn't blow my own trumpet4 ,i will stand score for the rent1 and the proper tillage of the farm4 ,i thank you1 ,farmer1 for your offer2 and ,i should have much pleasure in accepting your son as a tenant1 but ,i have purchased the farm with an intention of offering it to ,mr4 ,lewellin1 if he should feel disposed to become a farmer4 ,i beg pardon1 ,sir2 ,i hope no offence4 ,i wouldn't have said a word1 if ,i had known that4 ,howsomever1 ,i shall be glad to have him for a neighbour2 and anything ,i can do to sarve him1 ,i shall have a power of pleasure in doing4 ,thank you1 ,farmer4 ,he will need instruction beyond what ,i can give him2 and ,i had resolved to call on you for a little advice4 ,that1 ,sir1 ,i will give at any time1 with a power of pleasure4 ,it is pretty good land1 ,i believe1 ,farmer8 ,the land1 ,sir1 has a good heart in itself2 but it has been desperately run out4 ,it will take a power of trouble and expense to bring it into a good working condition1 and no mistake4 ,mr4 ,denham was a bad landlord4 ,he never would make no improvements1 nor help his tenant to make any4 ,and ,i always find a bad landlord makes a bad tenant4 ,i am very glad1 ,farmer1 that you have called1 and have referred to your son ,harry2 and ,i will now tell you what has been running in my mind4 ,i know the farm has been mismanaged1 and that it will require1 as you say1 much trouble and expense to bring it into a good working condition2 now1 could you not spare your son ,harry for a year or two1 to act as bailiff to ,mr4 ,lewellin2 and thus he will be doing something for himself1 which you know won't prevent him from taking a farm1 when you have an opportunity of doing so8 ,it shall be1 ,sir1 as you say4 ,well1 then1 you and your son had better call in the course of a few days1 and we will settle the terms of agreement4 ,with a power of satisfaction4 ,this will mainly please my mistress1 and ,harry too1 and no mistake4 ,farmer ,pickford then took his leave1 and ,mr4 ,roscoe proceeded to ,fairmount to acquaint the family with the projects he had in view1 in which they all gladly acquiesced4 ,indeed1 ,george1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 addressing herself to ,mr4 ,lewellin1 ,i think you will sustain no loss by exchanging the smoke of ,london for the salubrious air of ,rockhill1 and may part with your prospects of civic honours without regret1 to be enrolled on the list of country gentlemen4 ,though you may not at first be so expert in farming as in mercantile transactions1 yet in process of time your rural occupations will be no less interesting1 if not quite so profitable4 ,the exchange1 ,aunt1 will be made without regret1 especially when made in accordance with the wishes of my friends4 ,we all wish it1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 who had accompanied her husband to ,fairmount2 and it quite reconciles me to the idea of parting with my dear ,sophia4 ,in the course of a few months ,mr4 ,lewellin disposed of his business in ,london2 the house at ,rockhill underwent a thorough repair1 and was neatly furnished1 ,harry ,pickford was duly installed into his office1 the farm stocked with the usual variety of live cattle1 and the day for the celebration of the nuptial ceremony fixed4 ,at length the wedding morning dawned1 when the sun shone without a cloud1 a circumstance which ,sophia's good old nurse hailed as a happy omen of her future happiness4 ,every one was astir at an early hour4 ,the friends invited to the wedding arrived1 and the bride1 with her father and mother and the rest of her party1 drove off to the rectory1 where they found ,mr4 ,lewellin and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens and their friends waiting to receive them4 ,i am happy1 said the venerable ,rector1 that ,i have lived to see this day2 and more happy that ,divine ,providence has conferred on me the office of uniting you in the bands of matrimony4 ,he then knelt down and prayed with them1 and as he prayed warm tears were shed1 but they were not tears of sorrow4 ,prayer being ended1 they at once proceeded to the church4 ,the good old ,rector1 dressed in the habiliments of his office1 walked first1 followed by the bride leaning on her father's arm and the rest of the marriage party4 ,on entering the church they passed direct to the altar1 where the ceremony was performed by ,mr4 ,ingleby with great solemnity1 in presence of a larger concourse of people than had been remembered in the village on such an occasion for many years4 ,as soon as it was finished1 the married pair proceeded to the vestry to attach their signatures to the register of their marriage1 when ,mr4 ,ingleby thus addressed them3--,i hope you will enjoy the excursion you are about to take2 that a kind ,providence will watch over you1 to preserve you from all evil2 and that you will return to us in health and peace4 ,accept this small packet as a token of the interest ,i feel in your happiness1 and possibly you may retain it as a relic of friendship long after ,i have left you for a better world4 ,he then placed it in the hands of ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 saying1 ,you may open and examine it at your leisure4 ,on re-entering the church1 they were both unexpectedly greeted by the village choir1 who sung in sweetest melody the #abhth ,psalm1 from ,sternhold and ,hopkin's version-- ,blessed art thou that fearest ,god1 ,and walkest in his way2 ,for of thy labour thou shalt eat1 ,happy art thou1 ,i say4 ,like the fruitful vines on thy house side1 ,so doth thy wife spring out2 ,thy children stand like olive plants1 ,thy table round about4 ,thus art thou blest that fearest ,god1 ,and he shall let thee see ,the promised ,jerusalem1 ,and her felicity4 ,thou shalt thy children's children see1 ,to thy great joy's increase2 ,and likewise grace on ,israel1 ,prosperity and peace4 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,s4 ,,morgan ,t4 ,,bolton ,,the ,,bridal ,,party ,,welcomed ,,by ,,the ,,villagers4 ,vol4 ii4 page #def4 ,the bridal party on coming out of the church were received with acclamations by the assembled rustics1 who1 all attired in their holiday clothes1 thronged the churchyard1 and pressed forward to wish the new married couple a long and a happy life4 ,nothing could more unequivocally testify to the universal popularity with which ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lewellin were regarded among the villagers4 ,the bells in the old tower rung forth their merriest peals1 while the village children1 with their little baskets1 strewed the path with flowers4 ,on reaching the churchyard gate1 the wedding party stepped into the carriages which were waiting for them1 and drove off to ,mr4 ,roscoe's mansion4 ,there the young couple proceeded to dress for their journey2 and having partaken of some refreshment1 left for the usual tour4 ,the wedding party were entertained at dinner1 by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 in celebration of the joyous occasion3 while the company was cheerful and lively1 there was no appearance of that levity which too often attends the celebration of the nuptial vow1 even amongst the decidedly pious4 ,there are some of the customs of the world1 said the venerable ,rector1 which a ,christian may follow without in the least compromising his character2 ,i shall therefore offer no apology for giving the following toast--',,mr4 ,,and ,,mrs4 ,,lewellin1 ,,and ,,may ,,they ,,live ,,long ,,on ,,earth1 ,,and ,,finish ,,their ,,course ,,with ,,joy4' ,this toast was duly honoured by the whole party1 who soon afterwards retired to the drawing-room1 where the remainder of the day was spent in innocent festivity and social intercourse4 ,a sumptuous rustic feast was likewise spread on the lawn for the villagers1 who were thus furnished with the means of participating with their superiors in the general rejoicings of the day4 ,we now return to the wedded couple4 ,i wonder1 said ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 as they rode along in the post-chaise1 what this packet contains3 ,i must open it1 and have my curiosity gratified4 ,ah6 said she1 on discovering its contents1 it is just like ,mr4 ,ingleby1 he is always so kind and considerate4 ,here is his pastoral advice to us1 who have just returned from the altar4 ,she then proceeded to read to her husband as follows3-- ,i am happy1 my dear young friends1 that1 in the union which has taken place this day1 there has been no sacrifice of ,christian principle--no violation of filial duty1 and that it has been consummated under the most auspicious circumstances4 ,you are both1 my young friends1 fellow-heirs of the grace of life2 so that you have each obeyed the ,divine injunction by marrying in the ,lord4 ,here are your parents and your guardians offering you their congratulations1 while ,providence is opening before you a scene of prosperity1 which1 ,i trust1 you will ever continue to enjoy4 ,but you will not find this world a paradise2 nor will you be allowed to pass through it without meeting with trials4 ,it is not my wish1 certainly1 on this joyful occasion1 to darken your prospects with the shades of threatening evil1 but permit me1 an old man on the brink of the grave1 to address a few words to you1 which may be of service after ,i have gone to rest with my fathers4 ,ever remember that you are both imperfect ,christians1 which will keep you from forming extravagant expectations1 and guard you against the depressing influence of those momentary disappointments which you may feel4 ,it is generally admitted1 by the most competent judges1 that temper is the hinge on which the happiness of domestic life turns2 and if you can contrive to keep this always in a good condition1 you will never be disturbed by the gratings of discontent1 or the harsher sounds of anger or of discord4 ,you are1 ,i believe1 both amiable1 and have1 during a long courtship1 preserved the equilibrium of your temper-- ',ne'er roughen'd by those cataracts and breaks1 ,which humour1 interposed1 too often makes2' yet you have now entered on a course in which you will find the correctness of the poet's remark exemplified-- ,the kindest and the happiest pair1 ,will find occasion to forbear2 ,and something1 every day they live1 ,to pity1 and perhaps forgive4' ,i have known some who have been very fond of each other before marriage1 and for some time after it1 but their affection has gradually dwindled into indifference1 even while they have been unconscious of any change4 ,this is an evil against which ,i wish you to be on your guard4 ,you may now suppose that such an event cannot occur2 but what has befallen others may befal you4 ,pure love is a delicate plant1 which suffers by neglect2 and though you may imagine that by virtue of its inherent strength1 it will perpetually yield the fragrance and the fruit of conjugal felicity1 yet it will not do so without the most assiduous care4 ,endeavour1 then1 ever to exercise towards each other an amiable and forbearing temper1 which will make you appear no less lovely in each other's estimation when the gray hairs of age come upon you1 than when in the full bloom of youthful vigour4 ',the love that cheers life's latest stage1 ,proof against sickness and old age1 ,preserved by virtue from declension1 ,becomes not weary of attention3 ,but lives1 when that exterior grace ,which first inspired the flame1 decays4 ',tis gentle1 delicate1 and kind1 ,to faults compassionate and blind2 ,and will with sympathy endure ,those evils it would gladly cure4' ,but if pure affection may be regarded as the foundation on which domestic happiness rests1 it is the province of good sense to raise the superstructure--to decorate and embellish it--to secure its internal harmony1 and to cast up those mounds and bulwarks which will protect it from external annoyance and danger4 ,i do not know that ,i can define this expression better than by calling it1 that sense of propriety which is suited to the situation in which the member of a family is placed4 ,good sense will teach you to keep your proper station in your family2 when to see and when not to see the faults and the excellencies of others2 when and how to administer reproof1 or to give commendation2 and how to uphold your authority without the appearance of severity4 ,it will also induce you to pay great attention to the little things of domestic life1 which exercise so material an influence in promoting its happiness4 ,as your manners will have a material influence over all the subordinate members of your household1 the exercise of your good sense will teach you the importance of keeping your proper station1 lest you should1 by an act of encroachment1 give excitement to any evil tempers or dispositions1 which the occasion may appear to justify4 ,i am aware of the extreme difficulty of marking out the exact boundary within which you ought to keep in the exercise of your authority1 or in your habit of personal inspection2 but as an improper interference with the opinions or the prescribed duties of others very rarely fails to give offence1 even when no offence is intended1 good sense will keep you on your guard against rousing unnecessarily irritable feelings4 ,i do not wish you to suffer your servants to govern you1 nor do ,i wish you to stand in awe of them1 as ,i am convinced1 from long observation1 that the sceptre of authority should be held by the heads of a family2 but as your comfort will depend very materially on those by whom you are served1 ,i would advise you to study their temper and their disposition1 and so to shape your commands as to secure obedience without a murmur1 and bring about reform without opposition4 ,remember that your servants are not slaves1 to be governed by authority without reason--that they are not stoics1 to be treated as though they had no feeling2 but are your equals in relation to ,god1 though your inferiors in relation to civil society--who have as strong a claim on your generosity1 as you have on their fidelity1 and who will in general reward your kindness and sympathy by their affection and grateful obedience4 ,if there be one sight more lovely than another in the present world1 that sight is a happy family1 whose different members live together in love and in peace1 bearing each other's burdens1 anticipating each other's wants1 and endeavouring1 by the thousand nameless expressions of kindness which they may show to each other1 to secure and augment each other's felicity4 ,as you are both disciples of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 you will1 ,i have no doubt1 erect an altar of devotion in your habitation2 but you must guard against the supposition1 that all the duties of family religion are discharged when you have presented the morning and evening sacrifice4 ,you may have servants to instruct who are ignorant of the nature and design of the gospel of peace1 or whose positive aversion to every form of religion renders remonstrance or persuasion necessary4 ,though you may imagine that the instruction of the pulpit will prove the means of removing their prejudices1 and imparting to them clear perceptions of the truth as it is in ,jesus1 yet ,i would advise you not to trust entirely to it4 ,a little private conversation with them1 when a favourable opportunity occurs1 or a few familiar remarks made before or after reading a portion of the ,scriptures1 when you are collected together for the purpose of family prayer1 may have a powerful effect on their minds1 and lead them to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling4 ,and if you should be instrumental in bringing any of them to repentance1 and to the knowledge of the truth1 you will have an ample compensation for your anxiety and labour1 in the more ardent attachment which they will feel for you1 and the greater fidelity with which they will serve you4 ,i have more than once heard it remarked1 that social intimacy very often proves injurious to that intimate ,christian fellowship1 on which the growth1 if not the vitality of personal religion very materially depends4 ,hence1 husbands and wives1 parents and children1 frequently converse more freely on the experimental influence of religion with distant associates or comparative strangers than with each other4 ,but this ought not to be4 ,they who are animated by the like precious faith1 and who have to encounter the same spiritual difficulties1 ought not to suffer the closeness of their union to operate as a reason why they should hold no spiritual communion with each other4 ,let me then entreat you1 now you are just on the eve of forming your domestic habits1 to avoid this evil1 into which too many fall2 and by the most unreserved mental communications1 become helpers of each other's faith and hope4 ',if pains afflict1 or wrongs oppress1 ,if cares distract1 or fears dismay1 ,if guilt deject1 or sin distress1' do not lock up your grief as a profound secret1 which a false delicacy may wish you to conceal from one another2 but rather disclose it without reserve1 and you will meet in your reciprocal sympathy a relief from your burden of sorrow4 ,and that you may cultivate this intimate religious fellowship1 allow me to suggest to you the adoption of a habit1 which ,i think eminently conducive to your spiritual prosperity4 ,always retire1 during some part of the day or the evening1 to pray with each other1 and for each other2 and you will find that the line of the poet records a fact1 which your own experience will soon attest to be true1 that prayer ',brings ev'ry blessing from above4' ,it enriches the mind with the treasures of spiritual wisdom1 while it imparts a sweetness to the disposition1 and an amiability to the temper1 which cares and anxieties will not impair4 ,and though1 my young friends1 ,i cannot cheer you with the hope of being able to pass through life without coming into contact with its temptations1 its disappointments1 and its bereavements1 yet ,he in whom you trust1 and to whom you have both devoted yourselves in the spring-time of your life1 will never leave you nor forsake you1 but will be a very present help in every time of trouble4 ,if you are spared till the time of old age1 ,i trust you will be 'like a tree planted by the rivers of water1 that bringeth forth fruit in his season2 his leaf also shall not wither2 and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper4' ,and if you should be removed in early life1 you will be transplanted to that celestial paradise1 where you will flourish in undecaying strength and glory for ever4 ,it is but a little while that ,i shall live on earth as a spectator of your bliss2 but if spirits are allowed in their disembodied state to visit1 though unseen1 the abodes of mortals1 ,i shall often be with you1 'joying and beholding your order1 and the steadfastness of your faith in ,christ4' ,,an ,,old ,,friendship ,,revived4 ,after a delightful tour through the west of ,england1 and part of ,south ,wales1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lewellin arrived at ,malvern1 where they intended to remain for some time previous to returning home4 ,on the ,saturday after their arrival1 in ascending the hill behind the town1 they passed two ladies1 when ,mrs4 ,lewellin said1 ,i think ,i know the tallest2 she appears to be an invalid1 and1 to judge from her fixed look1 ,i should infer that she had a faint recognition of myself4 ,they turned back to pass them again1 if possible1 but they lost sight of them in the little crowd of fashionables enjoying their morning promenade4 ,as they were sauntering along on their return to their hotel1 they passed what appeared to be a small place of worship1 and on making inquiries1 they found it was a ,dissenting chapel4 ,we ought1 ,mr4 ,lewellin remarked1 to be devoutly thankful to ,divine ,providence for raising up so many of these unobtrusive little sanctuaries--they are the retreats of the gospel1 when it is driven out from the ,established ,church1 as is too often the case4 ,to me1 replied his wife1 any place is a ,bethel1 if its walls echo to the name of ,jesus4 ,the next day was the ,sabbath4 ,they were seated near the door of the chapel1 when they saw the two ladies enter whom they had observed on the preceding day2 but as they passed on to occupy a pew near to the pulpit1 they could not get a sight of the face of either of them4 ,the service was conducted as usual with extreme simplicity--singing1 without the aid of any instrumental music1 and extemporary prayer1 free1 however1 from monotony or tautology4 ,the sermon was short and impressive1 setting forth the grand truths of revelation in a simple1 earnest manner1 and enforcing them in tones of mild1 persuasive1 yet commanding eloquence4 ,the text would be considered by many a very commonplace one1 yet it is one which embodies the whole theory of ,divine truth--,this is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners2 of whom ,i am chief 7#a ,tim4 i4 #ae74 ,when the two stranger ladies were walking up the passage1 after the close of the service1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin contrived to be standing with her pew door partly open1 but drew it back as they were in the act of passing4 ,the eye of the invalid lady caught hers2 she paused1 and exclaimed with emotion--,and is it you1 my dear ,miss ,roscoe8 ,not ,miss ,roscoe now1 replied ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 waving her hand towards her husband2 ,i have exchanged it for ,lewellin4 ,and is it you1 my dear ,miss ,rawlins8 ,yes1 still ,miss ,rawlins1 your old friend4 ,how marvellous that we1 who were once two such giddy girls1 should meet after so great a lapse of time in a ,dissenting chapel6 ,the ,god of grace often works wonders4 ,always when he saves sinners4 ,and does my dear ,miss ,rawlins feel herself to be a sinner8 ,yes1 and one of the chief4 ,some others may be more vile1 but no one can be more worthless4 ,is this an illusion1 or a reality8 ,am ,i in some fairy land8 ,i do not wonder at your exclamation4 ,it is more like romance than reality4 ,they walked away from the chapel together1 and when parting1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin said1 ,if you are at the chapel in the evening we will sit in the same pew4 ,o yes1 my dear2 we greatly prefer the chapel to the church4 ,there we have the pomp of religion2 here its beautiful simplicity4 ,at church we hear the ,church itself and its ceremonial rites held up to us from day to day2 here the ,saviour himself is placed before us as the ,alpha and ,omega of the service4 ,we are more partial to the substance of the truth1 than to shadowy forms4 ,in the evening a minister officiated1 who was on a visit to ,malvern for the improvement of his health4 ,he was a fine looking man1 though much emaciated1 and preached as one whose eye was turned away from the vanities of time1 contemplating steadfastly the glories of eternity4 ,his text was strikingly appropriate to his own condition and to ours3--,the fashion of this world passeth away 7#a ,cor4 vii4 #ca74 ,the context to this passage1 said the minister1 tells us1 my brethren1 what experience confirms--that our abode on earth is short4 ,st4 ,paul1 therefore1 exhorts us1 and we will do well to attend to his exhortations1 to guard against too fond an attachment to any relation or possession in life4 ,you who weep1 and you who rejoice1 should moderate the intensity of your emotions2 as you will soon be far removed from the influence of the causes which produce those feelings1 and the possessions which you now hold on the most secure tenure will soon be claimed by others4 ,set not1 therefore1 your heart on this world1 which you must so soon leave4 ,its appearance is attractive1 like the shifting scenes of a theatre1 or a gaudy pageant in a public procession2 but it will soon vanish from your sight1 to amuse and beguile others in like manner4 ,there is another world--more splendid1 more glorious1 and more durable--towards that you should turn your attention1 and seek with the most intense ardour of soul to be prepared to enter it4 ,otherwise1 when you depart from this world--and you may very soon depart--you will go into outer darkness1 and be lost for ever4 ,i hope1 my dear ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 said ,miss ,rawlins1 on the following morning1 when they were promenading by themselves in a retired walk1 you will forgive me for not replying to the last letter ,i received from you4 ,indeed1 ,i have often reproached myself for not doing it4 ,it has been the occasion of bitter grief1 and some tears1 especially of late4 ,i can very easily forgive you1 dear ,miss ,rawlins2 but will you permit me to ask you why you did not reply8 ,it was1 at that period of my life1 absolutely unintelligible4 ,i concluded you were become a mystic2 and ,i foolishly imagined you were contemplating taking the veil1 and that ,i should soon hear you had entered a convent4 ,you will not be surprised at this when you advert to the foolish letter ,i wrote to you about religion4#cc #cc ,vol4 i4 p4 #dea4 ,if agreeable to you1 said ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 ,i should like to hear by what means you were brought to see and to feel your real character and condition in relation to ,god and the eternal world4 ,my history is a very singular one--abounding with incidents that illustrate the workings of the special providence of ,god4 ,you know1 my dear1 in what a gay circle ,i moved4 ,the concert1 the drama1 the ball-room1 card-parties1 and novels absorbed my whole soul4 ,i lived in a perpetual whirl of excitement and gaiety4 ,but ,i was not happy1 and often felt disgusted with my own frivolous pursuits4 ,at length1 ,i had a severe and dangerous illness1 brought on by imprudently exposing myself to the cold damp air1 in returning from a ball4 ,for some weeks my life was despaired of1 and these were weeks of terror4 ,i was brought to the verge of the dark world1 and felt appalled at the thought of entering it4 ,i was rebellious1 too1 and murmured against ,god for depriving me of life at such an early period4 ,it was by a cold1 caught at a ball1 that your old friend1 ,miss ,denham1 lost her life4#cd #cd ,vol4 i4 p4 #daj4 ,yes2 ,i recollect you alluded to her death in a letter ,i received from you4 ,were you intimate with her8 ,i was with her when she died4 ,indeed6 ,i know she was a gay devotee to the world2 and1 therefore1 it may be painful to hear how she died4 ,what myriads are offered as victims to the ,moloch of fashion6 ,no1 my dear1 not painful4 ,her head was reclining on the bosom of a pious friend1 who was present with me at the interview2 and her last words were--',i am dying1 but not without hope of attaining eternal life1 through faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,how thankful ,i am to hear that4 ,it is like the rescue of a friend from shipwreck4 ,but to resume my story4 ,i was gradually restored to health1 and re-entered the gay world1 amidst the warm congratulations of my friends4 ,at the close of the season we came to ,malvern to spend a few months4 ,here the mystic roll of ,providence began to unfold itself4 ,one day1 when rambling by myself over the common1 ,i saw a neat little cottage1 which ,i entered4 ,it was occupied by an old woman1 who sat reading her ,bible4 ,i apologized for my act of intrusion2 when she requested me to take a seat4 ',i hope1' she added1 looking at me benignantly as she spoke1 'you love your ,bible4 ,it tells us about ,jesus ,christ2 about his love for poor sinners2 and about his dying for them1 to save them from perishing2 and it tells us that if we come to him ,he will never forsake us4 ,there is no book like ,god's ,book4' ,i felt confused1 and soon left her2 but her words followed me4 ,they were perpetually sounding in my ears2 and yet ,i could not draw out of them any intelligible meaning4 ,a few days after this ,i met an old school-fellow1 looking very ill2 and having promised to call on her1 ,i did so the following week4 ,i found her confined to her bed1 and evidently with but a short time to live4 ,she said to me1 when taking leave of her1 ',you see1 my dear ,miss ,rawlins1 that ,i am now going into another world3 and ,i go in peace1 because ,i look by faith to ,jesus ,christ1 who died to save sinners4 ,he has assured me1 in the ,bible1 that if ,i come to him1 and trust in him1 ,he will save me4 ,you have been near death1 but your life is spared2 let me entreat you to leave the gay and thoughtless crowd1 and come by faith to ,jesus ,christ to save you1 and to make you happy4' ,these last words made a deep impression on my heart1 and gave rise to some painful reflections4 ,must ,i then1 ,i said to myself1 withdraw from the gay world to be happy8 ,can ,jesus ,christ make me happy8 ,how is this possible1 when he is dead1 and gone to heaven8 ,these references to ,jesus ,christ reminded me of your letter1 which1 as it happened still to be in my writing desk1 ,i again perused4 ,i was struck with the harmony of sentiment and testimony between your letter1 the observations of the old woman1 and the appeal of my dying friend2 and ,i felt its influence1 even though it appeared to me1 in a great measure1 unintelligible4 ,it is said of ,samson1 remarked ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 that the ,spirit of the ,lord moved him at times2 that is1 he was occasionally acted on by an unusual impulse4 ,and something analogous to this may be traced in our moral history2 the recurrence of impressions and emotions1 of a singular character1 proceeding from some unknown cause4 ,the ,lord the ,spirit is at work in the heart1 but his operations are veiled in darkness2 happily1 the time for explanation comes at last4 ,it has been so1 my dear ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 in my experience4 ,singular events have been employed to produce those singular emotions2 but at the time1 ,i could trace them to no perceptible cause1 nor did ,i ever suppose they would lead to any important issue4 ,but the mystery is now graciously explained4 ,soon after our return home1 another incident occurred1 which exercised a material influence on my mind4 ,we went to dine with an old friend of my father's1 who lived about ten miles from town1 and intended to return in the evening1 but such a violent storm came on1 that we were glad to accept our friend's invitation to remain for the night4 ,at nine o'clock the parlour bell was rung1 and in a few minutes the servants entered1 and our own coachman with them1 when a large ,bible was placed near a clergyman1 one of the party4 ,he read the second chapter of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 and offered up a very solemn and impressive prayer4 ,this was quite novel2 ,i had never before been present at such a service4 ,i was again brought into contact with the great facts of revelation2 and when on my knees before ,god in prayer1 ,i became still more restless in my mind4 ,i felt a strong inclination to go again to scenes of gaiety1 to dispel the strange thoughts1 and still stranger forebodings1 which haunted me2 and yet ,i recoiled from doing so1 under an instinctive apprehension that they would make me still more restless and unhappy4 ,i felt1 at times1 so miserable1 that ,i took no interest in life4 ,at this crisis1 another incident occurred1 trivial in itself1 and apparently casual1 but it was one of those agencies which were working together for my good4 ,our coachman brought with him1 from the pious family which we had been visiting1 some religious tracts2 and on passing through the kitchen ,i saw one on the dresser2 it was ,poor ,joseph4#ce ,i took it and read it4 ,it delighted me from its singularity4 ,i involuntarily exclaimed1 when ,i had finished reading it1 ',what a contrast between this poor half-witted man and myself6 he is in ecstasy when referring to ,jesus ,christ coming into the world to save sinners1 but ,i can only refer to this great fact with apathy and indifference4 ,how is this8' ,it appeared strange1 and was a heavy burden on my heart4 #ce ,vol4 i4 p4 #aeb4 ,our ,lord says1 ',they that be whole need not a physician1 but they that are sick' 7,matt4 ix4 #ab74 ,a man in health looks with indifference on the physician2 but not so the dying patient4 ,it is a deep sense of personal guilt1 and a vivid apprehension of positive danger1 that fits a sinner to form a correct estimate of the need and value of a ,saviour4 ,when such a discovery is made and felt1 then it is hailed with rapture1 and mental repose is enjoyed as the consequence of trusting on the ,saviour for pardon and salvation4 ,i now perceive and feel this2 but it would still have been hidden from me1 had it not been for another circumstance4 ,i had one gay friend to whom ,i was much attached2 indeed1 with the exception of my parents1 she was the only person ,i really loved4 ,she completely ruled me1 though one of the most gentle creatures ,i ever knew4 ,i was never so happy as when in her company4 ,she was as fond of the gay world as myself4 ,on one occasion we had both accepted an invitation to a grand ball given by ,sir ,john ,markham1 but in the morning ,i received a note from my friend requesting me not to expect to meet her there2 adding1 ',i withdraw from the gay world1 and for ever4 ,it is a vain show1 which promises happiness1 but yields none4 ,don't be alarmed2 ,i will explain when ,i see you4' ,this note took me by surprise2 but ,i was more pleased than distressed4 ,i refrained from going to the ball1 and went to see my friend4 ,she then informed me that her attention had recently been turned to her ,bible1 by a sermon she heard preached by the ,rev4 ,james ,harrington ,evans1 and she had resolved to seek lasting happiness by yielding herself to ,god1 through the redemption of ,christ ,jesus the ,lord4 ,her conversation1 though somewhat unintelligible to me1 was in perfect harmony with the sentiments ,i had previously heard others express4 ,i now readily complied with her earnest solicitation to accompany her1 on the following ,sunday morning1 to hear the same eloquent preacher4 ,we went together4 ,his text was1 ',for through him we both have access by one ,spirit unto the ,father' 7,eph4 ii4 #ah74 ,when he was explaining to us the nature of access to the ,father1 and showing us why and how we ought to come to ,him1 the veil was removed1 and the light of life shone with clear radiance into my heart4 ,i felt subdued1 captivated2 and1 for the first time of my life1 ,i could say1 ',now ,i know where true happiness is to be found4' ,now ,i could understand your letter4 ,i followed1 then1 without hesitation1 my friend's example1 in withdrawing from the gay world4 ,i suppose1 here remarked ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 the secession of two such gay devotees from the circle of fashion1 occasioned some little tumult8 ,o1 yes1 we had a few calls from some of the more inquisitive1 who live on excitement2 but we were both inflexible1 and now we are subjected to no annoyance4 ,what did your parents say8 ,i think they were more pleased than otherwise1 especially my dear mother1 whose health had been rapidly declining for some months4 ,very soon afterwards she was confined to her room2 and ,god honoured me to be the instrument in directing her to the ,lamb of ,god1 who gave his life a ransom for many4 ,she passed through a severe ordeal of mental suffering during her long illness2 but when descending into the dark valley1 she saw1 by faith1 ,jesus coming to receive her2 and she died in peace4 ,these varied conflicts1 my dear ,miss ,rawlins1 in which you have been engaged1 must have proved a severe trial to you4 ,they have rather seriously affected my health1 which has given way1 and occasioned our present visit to ,malvern4 ,i congratulate you on your rescue from the allurements of a vain and giddy world4 ,now that you are made alive from the dead1 you must yield yourself to ,god1 to fear1 and love1 and glorify him1 and show forth his praise4 ,as ,i have now1 my dear ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 unbosomed to you the secrets of my heart1 ,i shall feel more at ease4 ,but1 ,o6 where can ,i find words adequate to express my grateful feelings to my adorable ,saviour1 for the marvellous manifestations of his sovereign compassion and love to my dear mother1 my beloved friend1 and myself6 ,the next day ,mrs4 ,lewellin went with ,miss ,rawlins1 to see the old woman who lived in the cottage on the common4 ,on entering1 they found her in her arm chair1 with her ,bible open before her1 so intent on what she was reading1 that she did not appear to notice them1 till she was spoken to4 ,sit down1 ladies2 ,i am glad to see you4 ,at your old employment1 ,i see1 said ,miss ,rawlins4 ,why1 ,miss1 ,i don't know that ,i can be at a better4 ,it is proper that a child should read his father's epistles of love1 and that a servant should study to know what his master requires him to do and suffer4 ,do you ever feel weary of reading the parts of the ,bible you have read before8 ,it is1 ,miss1 with ,god's ,word1 as it is with ,god's world4 ,we enjoy a serene evening and the beauties and melodies of the spring1 as much this year1 as we did in any gone-by year of our life4 ,i was just thinking1 before you ladies came in1 that ,i could say nearly off at heart the third chapter of ,john's ,gospel2 and yet ,i could read it again1 with as much pleasure and profit1 if not more1 than ,i did the first time ,i read it4 ,there is such a wonderful depth1 and such a rich fulness and living power in ,god's ,word4 ,what book1 inquired ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 do you like next to the ,bible8 ,o1 dear1 ,ma'am1 ,i have long done with all other books4 ,i used to like good ,john ,bunyan's ,pilgrim1 and ,i have read it through many times2 but now ,i care about no book but my ,bible4 ,i sometimes think ,i should like to take the ,bible with me to heaven1 as then ,i should be able to have some dark sayings explained1 which ,i can't understand now4 ,you have no doubts1 ,i suppose1 about the certainty of your salvation8 ,no1 ,ma'am2 not now4 ,some time since1 ,i was greatly distressed with doubts and fears1 but now all my anxieties are at rest4 ,i stand with my staff in my hand1 waiting to hear my ,father call me home4 ,he will call soon4 ,how simple1 and how dignified1 said ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 as they were leaving the cottage1 are the anticipations of an old disciple1 when approaching the entrance to the heavenly kingdom6 ,and what a contrast1 replied ,miss ,rawlins1 to the devotees of fashion6 ,they will amuse themselves at the card-table1 till their hands become too enfeebled to play2 and even on a death-bed will listen with deep interest to descriptions of operas and plays1 a new singer1 or a new actor2 inquire with eager curiosity who wore the most splendid dress at the ball--what new marriage is now on the tapis--in short1 will listen to anything1 however trifling1 to keep off the thought of dying4 ,yes1 said ,mrs4 ,lewellin2 and when1 for form's sake1 the officiating priest is sent for1 and he has gone through the prescribed ceremonies--has read the absolution and given the sacrament1 and they have thus made their peace with ,god--they still live on1 as long as they can live1 amidst the gay scenes of former times now gone from them for ever4 ,but to that one great event in their moral history1 which is so certain1 and so near at hand1 all references or allusions are imperatively forbidden1 as though its entire oblivion could prevent its actual occurrence4 ,o1 it is painful to think of the terrific surprise and overwhelming horror which will seize on their spirits1 when they pass into the eternal world6 ,yes1 my dear2 and if our preparations for death1 and if our reminiscences and anticipations when dying1 should bear1 as ,i trust they will1 a nearer resemblance to the dignified deportment1 and the sweet serenity of the old woman on the common1 than to the criminal frivolity of these self-doomed devotees of fashionable life1 we must1 in imitation of the devout ,psalmist1 and with tears of joyous gratitude1 ever say--',not unto us1 ,o ,lord1 not unto us1 but unto thy name give glory1 for thy mercy1 and for thy truth's sake'--7,psalm cxv4 #a47 ,on their return from this visit1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin said1 with some embarrassment of manner1 ,we have now1 my dear ,miss ,rawlins1 been at ,malvern longer than we contemplated4 ,we leave to-morrow1 but ,i hope that we may again meet somewhere on earth1 to renew the sweet and hallowed intercourse we have so much enjoyed here4 ,i am thankful that you kept the secret of your departure to the last moment4 ,an earlier intimation of the exact time would have had on my heart a very depressing effect4 ,our conversations at ,malvern will ever be held by me in pleasing remembrance1 and ,i shall long for an opportunity to renew them4 ,good night4 ,we will have no formal parting4 ,it will be too painful4 ,as ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lewellin had exceeded the time which they had originally contemplated spending on their tour1 they now proceeded homewards to ,rockhill1 where they found ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 and a few other friends1 waiting to welcome them to their new home4 ,the meeting was a delightful one1 nothing having occurred to either party1 during their absence1 to occasion annoyance or perplexity4 ,a few months after their return1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin received the following letter from ,miss ,rawlins3-- ,,dear ,,mrs4 ,,lewellin1--,it will give you1 ,i have no doubt1 some pleasure to hear that ,i am again in my father's house1 and in the enjoyment of perfect health and vigour4 ,and you will1 ,i doubt not1 unite with me in humble adoration and gratitude to the ,god of all grace1 not only for the grace bestowed on me--one of the most worthless of the unworthy--but for his marvellous loving-kindness to my dear father1 who is so much delighted1 and so deeply moved by the preaching of the ,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,evans1 that he attends his chapel with me regularly every ,sabbath4 ,though there is no decisive evidence that he is become a new creature in ,christ ,jesus1 yet ,i hope he is entering the narrow way that leads to life4 ,he spends much of his time in reading his ,bible and ,doddridge's ,exposition1 and is very earnest in his inquiries about coming to ,christ to be saved4 ,truly the ,god of grace often works wonders4 ,my endeared friend1 ,miss ,forrester1 whom you saw with me at ,malvern1 is now1 and is likely to continue to be for some time1 an inmate in our family4 ,we were one in spirit when we were living and moving amidst the frivolous and ensnaring gaieties of life2 and we are still one in spirit now we are both united to the ,lord2 but it is a spirit of a purer nature1 and one that death cannot destroy4 ,i often think of our unlooked-for meeting at ,malvern1 and the pleasant hours of ,christian intercourse we spent together when there4 ,i hope both you and ,mr4 ,lewellin have been enjoying good health since your return home4 ,i need not say how glad ,i shall be to hear from you4 ,write soon1 and believe me1 ever yours1 ,,letitia4 ,,the ,,wanderer',s ,,return4 ,some months having now elapsed since ,mr4 ,lewellin's marriage1 ,i set off to pay my long promised visit to my esteemed friend and his lady4 ,i was accompanied by ,mrs4 ,orme1 who joined me in ,london from the ,elms1 and after a pleasant journey we arrived safely at ,rockhill4 ,it was promptly decided that the first half of my time should be spent with them1 and the other at ,fairmount1 with ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens4 ,the day after my arrival1 ,i took a stroll round the farm with ,mr4 ,lewellin1 and ,i was much gratified by its general appearance4 ,i did not see his bailiff1 ,harry ,pickford1 as he was gone to ,weyhill fair1 to purchase a few ,south-down sheep2 but ,i had great pleasure in hearing that his master had every reason to be satisfied with him1 and that great confidence was placed in his judgment and activity4 ,he is1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin facetiously remarked1 an able professor in the science of agriculture2 and ,i think1 ,sir1 if you examine ,mr4 ,lewellin1 you will pronounce him an apt scholar4 ,he has made much rapid progress in his studies during the session2--he may possibly take a degree4 ,on the ,sabbath it was arranged1 while we were at breakfast1 that ,mrs4 ,orme should ride to church with our kind host and hostess2 but ,i preferred walking1 as ,i wished to take the same route ,i had taken some years before1 and ascertain1 if possible1 what practical effect had resulted from my casual advice to ,robert ,curliffe1 whom1 on a previous occasion1 ,i had found working in his garden1#cf with his two sons4 ,it was a fine autumn morning1 without a cloud2 the air was genial and invigorating1 and the stillness of the solitary lane along which ,i was passing formed an agreeable contrast to the noise and bustle of the thronged streets of my town residence4 ,robert's cottage still stood where ,i first saw it1 but its appearance was greatly improved1 and his garden was in a higher state of cultivation4 ,these were auspicious signs1 and formed1 as will shortly be seen1 fresh illustrations of an oft-repeated remark1 that the work of grace in the heart contributes to the promoting of temporal as well as spiritual comfort4 ,on entering his cottage1 ,i found him dressed in his ,sunday clothes1 with his ,bible beside him on the table1 and in his hand ,fuller's ,gospel its own ,witness4 ,he expressed great joy at seeing me2 and his wife1 offering me a chair1 said1 ,you will see a change here1 ,sir1 since your first visit2 the grace of ,god is a wonder-working power4 #cf ,vol4 i4 p4 #aaj4 ,and ,i suppose you are both happier than when you preferred working in the garden on the ,sabbath to going to church8 ,yes1 ,sir1 said ,robert1 we are2 and we are better off in worldly matters4 ,our home is a quieter home4 ,our lads are more orderly in their manners1 and both go to ,mr4 ,ingleby's ,sunday-school4 ,we are a reformed family4 ,i shouldn't like1 said ,robert's wife1 for things to go back into their old state2 it would be like a good garden going back to a common waste4 ,you have now something of more importance to think about and talk about1 than about planting and weeding your garden4 ,yes1 ,sir1 the wonderful facts of the ,bible2 especially ,god's unspeakable gift of a ,saviour who is able and willing to save us4 ,what the ,lord has done for us in our souls1 since you had the first talk with our ,robert1 has given me a wonderful liking to the ,bible1 and to ,mr4 ,ingleby's preaching4 ,before that time1 if ,i read a bit of a chapter1 ,i could not make out its meaning2 and if ,i heard a sermon1 it made no impression on my heart2 it came in at one ear1 and went out at t'other4 ,ah6 dear2 things are wonderfully changed in us4 ,i shouldn't like them to be changed back again2 it would be worse than seeing our garden overrun with thistles and nettles4 ,i now pressed on to church4 ,the ,curate read the ,liturgy with great solemnity and pathos4 ,my ,dissenting prejudices subsided as ,i listened to the solemn words of prayer2 and the responses had a soul-inspiring effect4 ,yes1 ,i said to myself1 the prayers are simple1 sublime1 and appropriate2 they are such as a sinner should offer up1 when kneeling before the ,lord2 they prepare the heart to unite with the voices of the heavenly kingdom in their chorus of thanksgiving and praise4 ,at length ,i saw the vestry door open2 the venerable ,rector walked out1 ascended the flight of stairs1 and entered his pulpit4 ,after a short extempore prayer1 he announced his text--,and he arose1 and came to his father4 ,but when he was yet a great way off1 his father saw him1 and had compassion1 and ran1 and fell on his neck1 and kissed him 7,luke xv4 #bj74 ,on my previous visit to ,fairmount1 ,i had observed that the infirmities of age were fast creeping upon ,mr4 ,ingleby1 and this was now much more manifest1 though it could scarcely be wondered at1 as the good ,rector had considerably advanced beyond the period generally allotted to the life of man1 being now upwards of eighty years of age4 ,his voice1 however1 was still clear and sonorous2 and though there was less activity and brilliancy of imagination1 yet the same bold and impassioned appeals to the conscience and the heart came from his lips as when ,i first heard him4 ,he commanded the attention of his audience1 and he rewarded it4 ,after describing the old man walking anxiously up and down in the cool of the evening in front of his rural mansion1 situated1 it might be1 in some remote quarter of ,palestine1 he proceeded to recount his supposed soliloquy1 while thinking of his long-lost child3--',is he still living1 or has he been devoured by some wild beast of prey6 ,is he in affluence1 or is he in want6 ,does he ever think of his home1 and of his father1 or has he forgotten both6 ,shall ,i ever see him again6 ,shall ,i ever embrace him again1 as ,i embraced him the morning he left me6 ,shall ,i ever hear him address me 'father1' as ,i was once accustomed to hear him call me6' ,the old man is now just going to retire for the night1 when something is seen moving in the distance--it advances--it is a man--a poor forlorn outcast1 come to ask for shelter2 he shall not be denied2 he looks more fixedly--the figure advances1 yet it is still a great way off2 it is--no1 it cannot be2 he looks--it is1 it is my son6 ,see how the old man runs to embrace the traveller6 ,what a joyous meeting6 what a night of gladsome mirth and hallowed devotion6 ,and who1 beloved brethren1 supplies me with the materials for this dramatic sketch8 ,jesus ,christ4 ,for what purpose8 ,to assure us that our heavenly ,father feels more compassion for a relenting sinner than he can feel sorrow for his sins2 and that ,he feels more paternal delight in the exercise of mercy1 than a sinner can feel joy by having all his sins forgiven him4 ,when the sermon was over1 ,i saw ,farmer ,pickford and his wife standing at the corner of the lane1 waiting for my approach4 ,i am glad to see you back again4 ,i have looked for this day1 many a day1 and many a night1 since you were preaching in the barn4 ,you look well1 ,sir4 ,time makes no change in your appearance4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,pickford1 you will come and see us2 we shall be so much pleased4 ,we have had1 ,farmer1 a very touching sermon this morning4 ,it touched me to the quick1 and no mistake4 ,i have shed more tears this morning than ,i ever shed in any morning since ,i was born4 ,it made me feel a power of trouble1 like4 ,and it greatly affected me1 said ,mrs4 ,pickford2 it made me think of our long lost ,george2 shall we ever see him again8 ,he1 my dear friend1 who brought back the prodigal of the gospel1 can bring back your dear son4 ,i hope he will1 replied the ,farmer4 ,i don't care in what condition he comes home1 so that he does come back1 and ,i live long enough to receive him4 ,he may come in rags for what ,i care4 ,i'll give him a capital supper1 and a new suit2 and we'll have a joyous merry-making1 and no mistake4 ,you'll give us another sarmunt in the barn8 ,yes1 do1 ,sir1 urged his wife2 we shall be so pleased1 and profited1 too4 ,one of our neighbours1 ,mr4 ,richards1 was so impressed by your discourse on the conversion of ,zaccheus1 that he is quite a changed character4 ,he was1 before he heard it1 a very irreligious man2 but now he regularly goes to church every ,sabbath morning1 and to ,mr4 ,stevens' chapel every ,sabbath evening4 ,and he comes to our weekly prayer-meeting2 and we often have edifying conversation with him4 ,before he heard that sarmunt1 said the ,farmer1 ,richards was just what ,i was before your first talk to me about my soul--a drunken1 swearing sort of chap2 but now he keeps as sober as a judge2 and his talk is quite heavenly4 ,he gets on in the good things faster than ,i do2 ,i'm still but a dullish sort of a scollard2 worse luck4 ,but after all1 ,i know something about the one thing needful2 that's worth knowing4 ,the ,lord be praised2 and many thanks to you1 ,sir4 ,i hope1 ,farmer1 by this time1 that you enjoy a well-grounded assurance1 that you are accepted in the ,beloved1 and feel safe for eternity4 ,as for that1 ,sir1 ,i must speak with great care4 ,i must not be too bold4 ,howsomever1 ,i don't fear dying1 and that's a main good thing2 a kind of a triumph1 like2 the ,lord be praised4 ,i love ,jesus ,christ--that's certain2 ,i love my ,bible1 and ,i love the services of ,god's house more than ,i used to love the ways of sin1 and that is saying a good deal4 ,will you give us another sarmunt in the barn1 ,sir8 ,yes2 and ,i will let you know when ,i can do it4 ,i dined in the course of the following week at ,mr4 ,roscoe's1 and much enjoyed my visit4 ,it revived a recollection of the discussions of former times1 between him and his ,tractarian brother1 now become an able advocate of the faith he then laboured to destroy4 ,i never saw ,mr4 ,roscoe looking better2 his spirits were buoyant1 rising at times to youthful cheerfulness4 ,he abounded with anecdotes1 both grave and facetious2 and was1 indeed1 the soul of the social circle4 ,we were deeply interested by the narration of an occurrence which happened on the preceding day1 and which ,i will give in his own words3-- ,i walked yesterday as far as ,brushwood ,house1 on a little matter of business1 and on my return home1 just as ,i came to the corner of the coppice1 ,i saw a respectable looking young man sitting on the stump of a tree in the hedgerow4 ,he rose1 bowed1 and said1 ',my name1 ,sir1 is ,george ,pickford1 and ,i am just back from a long roving trip1 on board of a merchant ship1 and ,i have been watching a long while for some one to go and tell father and mother that ,i am back safe and sound4 ,i am afraid to go home till some one has told them that ,i am here1 because1 as they don't know whether ,i am dead or alive1 my abrupt appearance may startle them4 ,and if1 ,sir1 you will be so kind as to do this little job for me1 ,i shall feel a power of gratitude4 ,it won't take you far out of the way4' ,after chatting awhile with him about the places he had visited1 ,i asked him whether he had been successful and taken care of his money1 ',why1 ,sir1' he replied1 'as ,i am so near home1 ,i don't mind confessing to you what ,i have confessed to no man since ,i came on shore4 ,i have saved upwards of #acj2 and ,i have it in a leather bag belted round my body under my shirt4 ,i kept clear of the land sharks in every port we entered4 ,i have for the last four years kept within compass--never gaming on board1 and never drinking on shore2 but before then ,i used to do such things4' ,mrs4 ,pickford saw me approaching the farm-house4 ,she was all hurry and bustle to get herself1 and her neat little parlour1 in order for my reception4 ,i took a chair and talked some time about things in general1 and then alluded to the sermon we had heard on ,sabbath morning4 ,the tear fell from her eye1 as she said to me1 ',sir1 it was a most painful sermon2 it brought my ,george so forcibly before my mind1' ',you may possibly1' ,i remarked1 'see him again4' ',i don't expect it1 ,sir4 ,he has been gone six years come the #hth of ,october2 and we have not heard from him1 or a word about him1 since he left us4' ',be of good cheer2 you will see him ere long4' ',her look was now wild and penetrating2 and she exclaimed1 ',what1 ,sir1 do you say1 and shall ,i see my ,george ere long8' ',be composed1' ,i added1 ',i bring you glad tidings4 ,your ,george is back safe and sound2 and he has requested me to come and tell you4' ',back1 ,sir6 safe and sound2 and you have seen him2 tell me1' rising as she spoke1 'where he is1 that ,i may see him too4' ,i then said1 ',if you will sit down1 and promise to remain seated for the next quarter of an hour1 you shall see him4' ',a hard promise1 ,sir2 but ,i thank the ,lord he has given me an opportunity to make it4' ,i stepped through the fold-yard1 hailed ,george1 who was on the watch1 and then led him to his mother4 ,i shall not attempt a description of the scene that followed4 ,she sprang into his arms1 and he into hers4 ',mother1 forgive me4' ',i do1 my child4' ',i have sinned against ,heaven and in thy sight1 my mother4' ',i forgive all1 my dear1 dear ,george2 and bless the ,lord for giving me this opportunity of telling you so4' ,his younger brother and his sisters1 who stood gazing and weeping1 all gathered around him1 as soon as his mother withdrew her embraces4 ',but where is father8' ,i heard him say1 as ,i retired from this scene of domestic joy and happiness4 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,s4 ,,morgan4 ,t4 ,,bolton4 ,,the ,,wanderer',s ,,return4 ,vol4 ii4 page #dhj4 ,one thing ,i must not forget to mention4 ,when it came up in the course of our conversation1 at our first interview1 that ,i knew his old master1 his robbery of whom occasioned his running away1 he put a letter into my hand1 and asked me if ,i would deliver it to him4 ,it contained the amount stolen1 with interest1 and compound interest up to the present date3 with a confession of his crime1 and an entreaty for forgiveness4 ,we were all deeply affected by this touching tale1 particularly ,mrs4 ,lewellin and ,mrs4 ,orme1 who said1 both speaking at the same time1 ,we must go and see ,george and his mother1 and congratulate them on their happy meeting4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in the midst of life1 we are in death4 ,we had a most unexpected confirmation of this during my stay at ,fairmount4 ,mr4 ,stevens had engaged to accompany ,mr4 ,roscoe to ,norton1 on a trifling matter of business2 and as they were to start at ten o'clock1 ,mr4 ,roscoe rose rather early1 took breakfast with ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 conducted family prayer as usual1 and then retired into his study4 ,mr4 ,stevens came1 and as ,mr4 ,roscoe did not make his appearance1 ,mrs4 ,roscoe rang the bell1 and desired the servant to call him4 ,the servant went to his room1 knocked several times1 but receiving no answer she opened the door1 and saw her master in the attitude of prayer4 ,this circumstance induced her quietly to retire1 but on closing the door1 she was so much struck with the singular position in which she had seen his head1 that she returned towards him1 and immediately exclaimed in consternation1 ,my master is dead6 ,this exclamation1 which was heard by ,mr4 ,stevens1 induced him to run up stairs1 where he found the servant standing1 petrified by terror1 near her venerable master1 who had1 when engaged in the holy exercise of communion with ,god his ,saviour1 left the scene of his earthly cares and bliss1 to take possession of his heavenly inheritance4 ,his hands were yet warm1 and his countenance had undergone no change1 but the eyelids and the mouth had fallen--there was no respiration1 no motion1 for he had ceased to be a citizen of earth4 ,the consternation which this unexpected event occasioned cannot be described4 ,it burst upon the family like a thunder-storm4 ,mrs4 ,roscoe hastened into the study4 ,my husband1 my dear husband6 she exclaimed1 and was carried fainting into an adjoining room1 where she remained for a quarter of an hour in a state of total insensibility1 unconscious of her loss1 till she saw ,mr4 ,stevens approaching her4 ,and is my husband dead1 ,sir8 ,be composed1 my dear friend1 it is the ,lord's doing4 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i know it2 but it is still a terrible trial4 ,does ,sophia know it8 ,oh6 tell her to come to me immediately4 ,mr4 ,stevens hastened to convey the mournful tidings to ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lewellin4 ,when he rode up the lawn in front of their house he saw them returning from a morning's walk1 and after an exchange of a few common-place inquiries1 he took ,mr4 ,lewellin aside1 and communicated the intelligence4 ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 on looking through the parlour window saw that ,mr4 ,stevens was the bearer of some news that deeply affected her husband2 and feeling apprehensive that it bore some reference to her parents1 she immediately rushed out1 and asked if all was well4 ,yes1 my dear1 said her husband1 all is well that the ,lord does4 ,yes1 ,i know it2 but what has he done8 ,your father---- ,my father6 ,what6 tell me6 ,your father1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 was taken suddenly ill this morning1 and when ,i left him was not able to speak to me4 ,is he living1 ,sir8 ,o1 tell me6 ,suspense tortures me6 ,let me know the full extent of the calamity6 ,your father is now mingling his praises with the redeemed before the throne6 ,what6 and have ,i lost my father8 ,is he gone without giving me his blessing8 ,how did he die8 ,we found him dead on his knees in the study4 ,on his knees6 ,o1 happy saint6 ,his death has indeed been a translation4 ,and how does my dear mother sustain the blow8 ,she wishes to see you immediately4 ,they hastened to the house of mourning1 but on entering the breakfast-parlour in which ,mr4 ,roscoe had only a few hours before partaken of his last meal on earth1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin's feelings overcame her4 ,on recovering from this hysteric fit she became more composed1 and expressed a desire to see her afflicted mother1 and being supported by ,mr4 ,lewellin and ,mr4 ,stevens1 she was led into the room where the bereaved widow sat1 silent and motionless1 in all the solitude and agony of grief4 ,she rose to meet her daughter1 and in a moment they were closely locked in each other's embrace1 but they were too much overpowered with anguish to utter any words but those of sorrow4 ,they wept aloud1 but in their weeping there was the majesty of grief1 bending in unmurmuring submission to the will of their heavenly ,father4 ,and is my father dead8 ,yes1 my child1 you have lost your father1 and ,i have lost my husband4 ,mrs4 ,lewellin looked round the room1 and having fixed her eye on his full-length picture1 she approached it1 and said1 ,there he is6 yes1 there he is6 ,my father6 speak1 my father6 ,it is thy ,sophia that speaks to thee6 ,she stood silent for a few moments1 and then sunk in the arms of her husband4 ,for several hours she continued in a state of high delirium1 but became gradually composed1 and retired to rest4 ,next morning she awoke with her feelings less agitated2 and though she wept when she saw her mother1 yet she spoke of their mutual loss with more tranquillity4 ,though it has pleased ,god1 said the bereaved widow1 to deprive us of the visible presence of one we so ardently loved1 we must not abandon ourselves to unavailing grief--we must not sorrow as others that have no hope2 but rather bow down our souls in submission to his holy will and say1 ',even so1 ,o righteous ,father1 for so it hath seemed good in thy sight4' ,i hope1 my dear mother1 ,i can repeat that sentiment2 but still ,i feel that ,i have lost one of the best of fathers that ever called a child his own2 and if ,i should be unable to control my feelings1 ,i hope you will bear with me4 ,ours is no common loss4 99 99 99 99 99 ,to relieve myself in some measure from the depression which this bereavement had occasioned1 ,i bent my footsteps towards ,farmer ,pickford's homestead1 and there ,i saw his son ,george1 and had from him a rough outline of his adventures1 which ,i will briefly narrate4 ,he left the port of ,london1 on board a merchant vessel1 in company with ,jack ,summers1 who had seduced him into the ways of iniquity2 but poor ,jack fell overboard1 and was drowned1 before he set sail4 ,his first voyage was to ,havana2 where1 one day1 he went on shore with the ship's carpenter4 ,they visited the slave-market1 where they saw men1 women1 and children sold like beasts of burden4 ,this sickened them1 both of the ,west ,indies and slavery2 but he said1 ,we served them out1 for1 on stepping into their boat they found1 coiled up in the jib-sail1 a negro lad1 about the age of fifteen1 who said1 ,me let go wid you4 ,they contrived to get him on board without his being seen2 ,george took off the top of an empty water butt1 put the negro in1 gave him a bottle of water and some bread and cheese1 and told him to lie still till the ship was under weigh4 ,early the next morning the negro's master came to inquire if there was a black boy on board2 and when the captain1 who didn't know anything about it1 assured him that there was not1 he turned back2 and soon after the vessel set sail4 ,we brought him away with us1 said ,george1 and he has been with me ever since1 and he is one of the best fellows of the crew for work4 ,this voyage1 upon the whole1 was a very pleasant one1 and he took a strong liking to a seafaring life4 ,his second voyage was to ,madeira1 and this1 also1 was a pleasant one1 notwithstanding a short though violent storm1 which1 to quote his own expression1 the little snug vessel outrode in gallant style4 ,his third voyage was to ,calcutta2 but1 on rounding the ,cape1 they encountered a tremendous hurricane1 which lasted several days and nights without intermission2 fears were entertained for the safety of the vessel1 as she got fearfully strained2 and now it was that the captain discovered the superior capabilities of ,george1 for1 having been apprenticed to a carpenter1 he was able to take the berth of the ship's carpenter1 who died some weeks before4 ,on his return to port1 the mate was promoted to the captain's berth1 who took the command of another ship2 and ,george ,pickford took the berth of the mate4 ,his character for sobriety and activity gave much satisfaction to ,messrs4 ,b41 his employers2 and he was a great favourite with the crew4 ,nothing occurred of any great importance for the next three years1 till his last visit to ,calcutta1 when the ship was detained for upwards of two months2 the captain giving him permission to go ashore as often as he pleased4 ,here he met a young man whom he knew--a native of ,broadhurst1 but now a resident in ,calcutta--a decidedly pious man1 who invited him to spend the following ,sabbath with him4 ,he did so2 and they went together to the chapel in which ,mr4 ,james ,hill1 an ,english missionary1 preached4 ,as he sat directly opposite the pulpit1 the eye of the preacher fell directly upon him--at least he thought so2 and the text1 ,be sure your sin will find you out1 7,num4 xxxii4 #bc71 brought his sin of dishonesty to his master1 undutifulness to his parents1 and his uniform forgetfulness of ,god1 and contempt for his authority1 with such vividness to his recollection that he hastened on board as rapidly as possible4 ,there1 in the quietude of his own berth1 he pondered over this new discovery1 which was accompanied by a train of novel and poignant emotions4 ,his soul was overwhelmed with grief2 but yet it was a grief which gave him more relief than pain4 ,it was pungent1 but it did not drive him to despair4 ,mr4 ,hill1 in the conclusion of his discourse1 quoted the words of ,jesus ,christ--,whosoever believeth in him should not perish4 ,i caught hold of that promise1 he said1 and ,i kept hold of it2 and ,i found it a rope strong enough to save me4 ,i believed ,i should not perish2 ,i tried to pray1 but could not get further than the prayer of the publican1 ',god1 be merciful to me a sinner4' ,he stated that he longed for the return of ,sabbath during the whole of the week2 and when it came1 though his duties on board required his attention in the morning1 yet in the evening he was at liberty1 and he again heard the same minister preach the glorious gospel of the blessed ,god4 ,he felt its great moral power on his heart1 reducing the wild tumult of feeling to a peaceful calm1 and giving him a good hope1 through grace1 of pardon and salvation4 ,the next morning the ship weighed anchor1 and set sail2 and he closed his statement to me as follows3--,i left my home a wild lad1 and a criminal2 ,i lived in bold rebellion against ,god up to the age of twenty-three2 ,i acted a most unkind and undutiful part towards my dear parents1 by keeping them in a state of ignorance of my whereabouts4 ,when ,i went into ,mr4 ,hill's chapel ,i had no more desire for conversion than ,i have now to be unconverted2 but the ,lord had compassion on me1 and has saved me3 glory be to his holy name4 ,i am a brand plucked from the burning1 if ever there was one plucked2 now ,i wish to live to show my gratitude to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 for saving me2 and to do good to my fellow-sailors4 ,i am glad to say that two of our crew are ,god-fearing men2 and we often meet together for reading the ,bible and prayer4 ,i had many precious moments1 in prayer to the ,lord1 on our voyage back2 and sometimes felt his presence near me1 especially one night in a fearful storm4 ,i knew he had the winds and the waves under his command4 ,i trusted in him1 and felt secure4 ,on my return to ,fairmount1 after this interview with ,george1 ,i met the ,farmer1 who gave me his usual hearty shake of the hand4 ,have you been to my homestead8 ,yes1 and have seen your son ,george1 and had a long chat with him4 ,he is grown a finish sort of a chap4 ,he's more of the gemman than his father1 and no mistake4 ,he has seen a main bit of the world1 like4 ,how well he talks2 and what a power of matter he has to say4 ,he keeps us up rather latish with his stories4 ,some are funny and make us laugh2 and some are shocking4 ,man is a bad fellow everywhere till the grace of ,god touches his heart4 ,howsomever1 ,george has scraped up a goodish bit of money4 ,ay1 if a man has any luck at sea1 he often gets on faster than we do here on land4 ,your son1 ,i rather think1 has found something more valuable than gold1 or silver1 or precious stones4 ,the ,lord be praised4 ,yes1 he has found the precious pearl of great price4 ,that's a proof to my mind that ,jesus ,christ is everywhere1 or my ,george would not have found him in ,calcutta1 which1 he says1 is thousands of miles off4 ,i suppose he has told you about the sarmunt that made him feel all at once that he was in a new world8 ,he must have been as much surprised1 when going out of the chapel as ,zaccheus was when he dropped down out of the sycamore tree4 ,what a wonder-working power the grace of ,god is1 and no mistake6 ,you were not at home1 ,i believe1 when your son arrived8 ,no1 ,i had been all the morning1 along with two of my men1 doing a bit of hedging and ditching in one of my lower meadows1 t'other side of the hill4 ,and all the while ,i was working1 ,i was thinking over the sarmunt ,mr4 ,ingleby preached on ,sunday morning4 ,it was one of great power2 it touched me to the quick1 like4 ,and just as ,i was coming down the hill1 to get a bit of dinner1 ,i saw a chap running across the fold-yard into the house4 ,i wondered who it could be4 ,after a bit1 he came out1 and my mistress with him1 and ,i saw her pointing towards me4 ,i felt all at once a power of strange thoughts rush into me2 and ,i stood still as the chap was running towards me1 jumping over hedge and ditch1 like a greyhound after a hare4 ,when he got a bit nearer1 about five hundred yards off1 ,i thought all at once it was the step and swing of ,george2 and ,i heard him cry out1 ',father6 father6' as loud as he could bawl2 but for the life of me ,i couldn't speak a word more1 and ,i couldn't have been more frightened if ,i had seen two ghosts4 ,i seemed stuck fast into the ground with my tongue tied2 so that ,i was obliged to leave him to do all the work of hugging1 and kissing1 and such like4 ,when ,i got a bit over my fright1 ,i told him ,i was main glad to see him back2 and that ,i would give him as good a supper as was put on the table the night you gave us the sarmunt in the barn about the conversion of ,zaccheus4 ,it must have been a joyous meeting to you4 ,i have been thinking two or three times since1 that it is almost worth while to lose a youngster for a year or two1 for the delight of seeing him come back safe and sound4 ,you should hear him read the ,bible and pray4 ,it would do your heart good1 ,sir4 ,now1 ,sir1 when will you come and give us the sarmunt in the barn8 ,george shall read out the hymn1 and pitch the tune1 and then you will have a sample of his cleverness in such matters4 ,old ,william1 the shepherd1 says he'll take the biggest wether-bell he can find1 and he'll go round to all the cottages and farm-houses in those parts1 and cry notice of it4 ,i must clear out both barns to find room for the people2 they'll come as thick as rooks after the plough4 ,the ,lord be praised that ,i should ever live to see such joyous times and such wonderful doings3 no sham work2 and ,i must not forget to thank you for the part you have had in them4 ,you may expect me next ,wednesday week4 ,very well1 ,sir1 ,i shall expect you on that day4 ,but one thing ,i have to request1 and that is1 that you don't get such a splendid supper as you did last time4 ,i never trouble myself about kitchen matters4 ,i leave that to my wife1 whose name is ,martha2 and you know that the ,bible tells us that ,martha always has a liking to give a good treatment to our best friends4 ,no1 no1 ,i mustn't speak about such a matter2 if ,i do1 there will be a rookery in the kitchen4 ,then ,i must send her a note and make the request myself4 ,well1 just as you like1 ,sir2 but ,i guess it won't matter4 ,women1 you know1 don't like to be put out of their way2 and ,i am sure of one thing1 that if you give us a good sarmunt1 as you are sure to do if you preach1 she will give you a good supper1 which she is sure to do if she does the cookery4 ,why1 ,paul says1 if you mind1 ,sir1 that we must give our carnal things to them that give us spiritual things4 ,as ,i was taking my leave of him1 he said--,please1 ,sir1 just stop one minute4 ,it almost got out of my head2 but it's back again4 ,did ,george tell you what he says to his mother and me8 ,he says he is mate of this ship1 which ,i suppose is a goodish sort of a thing2 and he says he thinks he shall be made a captain after he has had another voyage or two1 which ,i suppose is something better2 and he says he'll take his brother ,sam with him and show him ,calcutta and ----1 ,i forget what he calls it1 but it is where our tea comes from2 and he says he'll make him a bonny sailor1 which he says is better than ploughing or turnip sowing4 ,but his mother don't like this talk1 for she says she shall never sleep at night when the wind gets up and the lightning comes4 ,well1 ,i would rather keep them both at home1 than let either of them go2 but ,george has a desperate liking for the sea3 and it seems to be his calling1 and we must trust the ,lord to take care of them4 ,o dear1 how ,i forget things6 ,my thinkings about ,george coming back to us and ,sam going from us1 drives almost everything out of my head4 ,i heard ,bob ,curliffe say1 as ,i was crossing the lane on the top of the hill1 that he heard his master say to ,mr4 ,hyde that ,mr4 ,roscoe is dead1 is that true1 ,sir8 ,yes2 he died suddenly1 yesterday morning1 when on his knees in prayer4 ,that's just how ,i should like to die1 and no mistake4 ,what a wonderful change for a man--all in a moment2 from earth to heaven in no time6 ,mr4 ,ingleby will give us a grand sarmunt on ,sunday on this subject1 or ,i am no prophet4 ,i shouldn't wonder if he takes the matter of ,enoch's getting into heaven without dying4 ,i should like that way of going1 but we must leave all to the ,lord4 ,after all1 ,i don't care how ,i go1 or who sees me go1 so as ,i get into heaven at last4 ,the ,farmer was right in his predictions4 ,mr4 ,ingleby did give us an excellent sermon on the translation of ,enoch2 and this was followed by an admirable sketch of the character of our deceased friend4 ,but ,i can do no more than transcribe the subjoined paragraph1 which ,i took down at the time ,i heard it3-- ,when it pleaseth ,god to visit our friends with a lengthened indisposition before he removes them1 we have the pleasure of administering to them the consolations of religion--of exchanging the expressions of ,christian sympathy--and catching from their lips some sublime expressions of anticipated bliss4 ,the sufferings1 however1 which they generally endure are so keen and so poignant1 that in many instances we are thankful when the contest is over4 ,but if death comes in an unexpected hour1 and bears off a friend without giving us any warning1 we are plunged into the lowest abyss of sorrow1 because we are denied the privilege of bidding him adieu3 yet as a mitigation of our anguish we have this consolation1 that he was not called to walk through the dreary valley1 being borne as 'on angels' wings' to heaven4 ,in such a case his departure partakes more of a translation than an act of dying2 he oversteps the grave1 and enters into the possession of his purchased inheritance without having his fears awakened by the solemnity of his removal1 or his peace disturbed by the anxieties and distress which it occasions to others4 ,one hour he is with his friends on earth1 busily employed in all the duties of his station--the next with his friends in the celestial world1 joining with them in their ascriptions of praise to ,him that sitteth on the throne1 and to the ,lamb4 ,one hour he is mourning here below over the imperfections of his character--the next he feels himself made perfect in purity and in blessedness2 and while those who revered and loved him are weeping around his breathless corpse1 he is taking his part in the exercises of that sacred temple in which the worshippers serve the ,lord day and night for ever4 99 99 99 99 99 ,at last the long expected ,wednesday night came1 and ,mr4 ,stevens drove me in his gig to ,farmer ,pickford's1 where ,i found the barn full of people waiting my arrival4 ,his son ,george commenced the service by reading a hymn1 and he read it very well2 he then led off the singing2 his brother ,harry1 a good tenor1 standing on his left1 and his father1 a good bass1 on his right4 ,his mother1 with two or three younger females1 stood behind1 and altogether a very effective rustic choir was formed4 ,i selected for my text the #bc;d verse of the #aath chapter of the ,acts--,who1 when he came1 and had seen the grace of ,god1 was glad1 and exhorted them all1 that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the ,lord4 ,this1 my dear brethren1 ,i observed1 is very likely the last time ,i may ever meet you1 and address you1 in this rustic temple1 which is as glorious in the eyes of the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 as the magnificent temple at ,jerusalem1 which was his local dwelling-place in ancient times4 ,for here he has condescended to visit you1 though unseen1 and listen to your prayers and your praises2 and here the glorious gospel of his grace has proved his power to your salvation4 ,yes1 when you have finished your course1 and the conflict is over1 and when you have gained the prize of your high calling1 your recollections will hover over this hallowed spot1 as the spiritual birth-place of your immortal souls2 where you were quickened into newness of life2 and where 'after that ye believed1 ye were sealed with that holy ,spirit of promise1 which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession1 unto the praise of his glory' 7,eph4 i4 #ac1 #ad74 ,i solemnly charge every one of you to be faithful unto death1 otherwise you will die in your sins1 and be lost for ever4 ,and how dreadful would such a loss be6 ,the service closed in the usual way1 and the congregation dispersed4 ,the ,farmer introduced several persons to me1 who had received spiritual benefit from the sermon on the conversion of ,zaccheus1 particularly his neighbour ,farmer ,richards1 of whose conversion he had previously given me some account1 and who was invited to sup with us4 ,this meal was as sumptuous as the former one4 ,it was soon over2 and then before ,i rose from the table ,i thus addressed them3--,great spiritual changes1 my dear friends1 have taken place in your family since ,i took my first meal in this kitchen4 ,you1 addressing ,mr4 ,p41 were then an unenlightened and an unrenewed man1 living without ,god in the world1 without ,christ1 and without hope2 but now1 with your dear wife1 you have passed from death unto life2 have both tasted that the ,lord is gracious2 are made fellow-heirs of the grace of life2 and can rejoice in the hope of your final salvation4 ,your first-born has long since yielded himself to ,god1 as one alive from the dead2 and there sits by your side your long-lost ,george1 unexpectedly restored to you1 and made a new creature in ,christ ,jesus before he came back to receive your parental benediction4 ,and though the younger children are not yet brought within the bonds of the covenant--7,i was here interrupted by the ,farmer1 who1 under an excitement he could not repress1 exclaimed1 ,i think our ,sam is1 for ,i saw him on his knees in prayer the other night47--,i am glad to hear this1 and ,i trust that he1 like his two brothers1 will yield himself to ,god1 to be renewed1 sanctified1 and saved2 and that his dear sisters will follow their example2 and that all of you will be saved1 and glorified in the celestial world4 ,the ,lord grant it may be so1 said all4 ,at the urgent request of ,mrs4 ,pickford1 ,i read a psalm1 and prayed with the family4 ,it was a solemn service--more solemn than any preceding one1 because it was the last4 ,many wept when on their knees1 and some wept when they rose up1 to give and receive the final farewell4 ,i hastily shook hands with every one in the room1 simply saying1 as ,i went out1 ,lord bless you1 and keep you4 ,i hope we shall meet in heaven4 ,amen6 was the response1 given with an earnestness and a solemnity that was almost overpowering4 ,when the ,farmer came to button the apron of our gig1 he again took my hand2 and he said1 as the tear fell from his eye1 ,the ,lord be praised for sending you to taste my ale and cream cheese1 and you be thanked for coming4 ,i hope you will pray for me1 that ,i may stick close to the ,lord1 with all my heart and soul2 and ,i hope you will always pray for our ,george and his brother ,sam1 when the wind gets up4 ,good night1 gemmen2 a safe ride to ,fairmount4 ,farewell4 ,a ,,struggle ,,for ,,life4 ,one morning1 while at breakfast at ,fairmount1 ,i was surprised by a note from ,mr4 ,john ,ryder1 requesting the favour of a call from me1 at ,aston1 before ,i returned home4 ,the reader will remember ,mr4 ,ryder#cg as a suitor of ,miss ,denham1 and the affecting farewell of the latter to him on her death-bed4 #cg ,vol4 i4 p4 #dbj4 ,there is a mystery in this1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 which ,i cannot account for4 ,i have not seen ,mr4 ,ryder for many months4 ,miss ,denham's death was a dreadful blow to him1 and since then he has never recovered his wonted spirits1 but become quite a recluse1 neither paying nor receiving any visits4 ,who can tell8 ,i remarked2 her death may issue in his spiritual life4 ,i will send a reply1 saying that ,i will call on him to-morrow evening4 ,he is a noble character1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens2 and a young man of great intelligence and most amiable disposition4 ,i trust his affliction has led him to direct his attention to the only true source of consolation4 ,indeed1 ,i have some grounds for hoping that this is the case1 as ,i understand he has been very regular in his attendance at church for some time past4 ,on going to ,aston the following evening to call on ,mr4 ,ryder1 ,i unexpectedly met him1 and we walked together to his house4 ,after thanking me for my promptness in thus responding to his request1 he proceeded to disclose to me1 without much reserve1 the deep perplexity and strongly excited state of his mind on the question of personal religion2 asking me1 at the same time1 for my advice1 and how he should act to obtain relief from his perplexities and depression of spirit4 ,he frankly confessed that prior to the death of ,miss ,denham1 for whom he had long cherished a most ardent attachment1 he had imbibed some vague sceptical opinions against religion4 ,her dying farewell1 however1 both astonished and confounded him1 particularly the last words which she addressed to him3--,we now part1 but ,i hope not for ever4 ,death1 which is now removing me1 may soon call for you2 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 ,i never1 he remarked1 heard her say anything like this before4 ,she was now entering the dark unknown world2 but it appears that she derived consolation from the death of ,jesus ,christ4 ,how is this8 said ,i1 as ,i withdrew from the chamber of death2 and how can it be8 ,i have said thousands of times since4 ,however1 what ,i saw and heard on that awfully appalling occasion left an indelible conviction on my mind1 that there is a something in religion suited to humanity at the most momentous period of its history4 ,but what is that something8 ,i said to myself4 ,is it a hidden mystery which the great teacher death alone can explain2 or is it possible to get the mystery explained before death comes8 ,this is the emphatic question ,i wish you to solve1 as my happiness both in this world and the next depends on its solution4 ,in token of his sincerity1 he told me that he had altogether withdrawn from the gay world2 regularly attended his parish church1 and had taken the sacrament several times4 ,he now read the ,bible1 and other devotional books1 in preference to novels and periodicals2 and went through a regular form of private prayer1 both morning and evening4 ,he closed by saying3--,but1 like a man surrounded by a thick mist when crossing some wild moor1 ,i know not whether ,i am going right or wrong--,i can obtain no satisfaction4 ,i was about to reply to this communication1 when our arrival at ,aston1 and the appearance of ,miss ,ryder1 to whom ,i was introduced by her brother1 put a stop to further conversation on the subject for the present4 ,we now entered the house1 and while tea was preparing1 ,mr4 ,ryder proposed that we should take a turn round the garden4 ,in passing along1 my eye caught sight of a beautiful figure of ,ceres1 resting on a pedestal4 ,i remarked1 that it was by a very slow and painstaking process that things of real excellence were brought to perfection4 ,yes1 replied ,mr4 ,ryder2 a few months ago that beautiful figure was a rough1 shapeless stone4 ,i have often thought1 when standing and admiring it1 what an eye and what a taste its sculptor must possess6 ,but after all1 it wants life to give the full expression of beauty4 ,it stands as an emblematical figure4 ,yes1 ,sir2 of the productive power of nature4 ,and1 ,sir1 of something else4 ,of what8 ,of the man who has the form of godliness1 but who has never felt its regenerating and life-giving power4 ,he paused1 looked grave1 but spoke not4 ,after the lapse of a few moments he moved on in silence1 as though my words had excited a new train of thought in his mind4 ,at length he said3--,i do not clearly understand what you mean by the expression--the regenerating and life--giving power of godliness4 ,i mean the regenerating power of the ,divine ,spirit1 creating anew the human soul1 and infusing into it spiritual life4 ',you1' says the apostle1 when addressing the members of the church at ,ephesus1 'hath he quickened1 who were dead in trespasses and sins' 7,eph4 ii4 #a74 ,but is man1 at any period of his moral history1 living in a state of death8 ,such a supposition appears to me to be paradoxical4 ,before the regenerating power of the ,divine ,spirit acts on the soul of man1 he lives in a state of death1 in two senses4 ,we say1 for example1 of the culprit who is condemned to die1 that he is a dead man4 ,his life is not his own2 it is forfeited to the claims of justice4 ,and thus1 while living in an unrenewed and unpardoned state1 we are legally dead2 our life is forfeited to the claims of ,divine justice2 and we are exposed to the penalty of the violated law of ,god4 ,and what is that penalty8 ,condemnation1 including in its infliction the forfeiture of the favour of ,god2 mental disquietude1 remorse1 and dread of death1 exclusion from a state of happiness1 on passing into the eternal world2 and banishment to hell1 in despair1 for ever4 ,for it is written--',cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them' 7,gal4 iii4 #aj74 ,he again moved on in silence2 and then suddenly stopping1 and resting his eye for a few moments on the ground1 he replied1 under great excitement3--,this1 ,sir1 is a fearful condition of existence4 ,it is appalling4 ,it chills my blood to think of it4 ,then my present restlessness and disquietude of soul are the lighter inflictions of this tremendous penalty--the premonitions of the coming storm of ,god's righteous displeasure4 ,yes1 ,sir2 and they are given in mercy and in love4 ,you surprise me4 ,what6 does mercy ever employ such terrific forerunners to announce her coming8 ,if so1 for what purpose8 ,to rouse man1 while living in a state of false security1 to an apprehension of his guilt1 and consequent danger4 ,they are1 in fact1 warning voices1 warning man to flee from the wrath to come1 to repent of his sins1 and to make him feel the absolute necessity of a ,divine interposition to rescue him from the peril of his condition1 that he may 'seek the ,lord while he may be found1 and call upon him while he is near' 7,isa4 lv4 #f74 ,we now entered a tastefully constructed grotto1 covered with ivy1 situated at the upper extremity of the garden4 ,here we had an enchanting prospect of the surrounding country1 and stood gazing on it for a while in silence1 when ,mr4 ,ryder remarked--,this1 ,sir1 is a beautiful world4 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i replied2 and it would have been a happy world1 if sin had not entered and defiled it1 and thus marred our happiness4 ,the beasts of the field and the birds of the air appear to have escaped its withering influence4 ,they are happy4 ,it is only man1 the noblest specimen of the ,divine workmanship1 who is groaning and pining away in mournful sadness1 under its polluting and destroying power4 ,to me1 ,sir1 it appears surprising that the ,deity should have permitted sin to enter this province of his vast dominions1 and allow it to become the active agent of so much crime and misery1 when he could so easily have prevented it1 if he had chosen4 ,i am not surprised by your remarks1 for unquestionably the dispensation under which we are living is awfully mysterious2 but still1 notwithstanding the impenetrable darkness which envelopes certain parts of the ,divine procedure1 other parts are plain and intelligible1 obviously conducive to our present and final happiness4 ,hence1 if we act wisely1 we shall turn our attention from what we cannot know1 to what we may know-from concealed reasons and causes1 to revealed facts4 ,instead1 then1 of perplexing ourselves about the origin of evil1 we shall sit at the feet of ,jesus1 and he will tell us what ,god has done to repair the injury of the fall--',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 #af74 ,this1 ,sir1 is plain1 and this is intelligible2 and we are assured by the ,son of ,god himself1 that if we believe in him we shall not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,your remarks1 ,sir1 interest me4 ,they illumine the darkness in which my own thoughts have been long revolving in shapeless con fusion4 ,i begin to perceive that my salvation is possible4 ,you referred just now to another sense in which man is dead1 in addition to the forfeiture of his life1 by his violations of the law of ,god2 will you explain what that other state of death is8 ,our conversation was here interrupted by a summons to tea4 ,mr4 ,ryder was now profoundly silent on the questions which had engrossed our attention1 leaving an impression on my mind that his sister had no sympathy with his spiritual anxieties and depression4 ,she was about twenty-five years of age1 of very pleasing manners1 and an apparently amiable disposition--neither obtrusive nor reserved2 sprightly1 and somewhat of a facetious turn4 ,when looking at and listening to her1 the words which our ,lord addressed to the accomplished young ruler of ,judea involuntarily occurred to me--,one thing thou lackest4 ,her brother now proposed another stroll in the garden1 which was prevented by the arrival of some visitors1 and the rest of the evening passed away without any recurrence to our former topic of conversation4 ,on taking leave1 ,mr4 ,ryder made me promise that ,i would soon repeat my visit1 which ,i accordingly did in the course of the ensuing week4 ,on this occasion ,i again met ,mr4 ,ryder1 as before1 taking an evening stroll1 and we walked to ,aston together4 ,on passing an old dilapidated mansion1 we saw its proprietor standing in the porch1 a nondescript both in appearance and character4 ,that1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,ryder1 is the most singular man ,i ever knew2 he is very wealthy1 and leads a very selfish and sensual life2 he loves nothing but himself1 his dogs1 and his gun4 ,he has sympathy for a dog when in pain1 but none for a human being4 ,his dogs are fed sumptuously1 and taken the greatest care of1 but he has never been known to give anything in charity to his own species4 ,he shuns all intercourse with his fellow-men1 and is1 in fact1 a perfect misanthrope--a being without a heart4 ,not long ago1 his father1 who lives in extreme poverty in the adjoining county1 came to see him1 but he peremptorily ordered him away without giving him bit or drop4 ,this man1 ,i replied1 loving nothing but himself1 his dog1 and his gun1 not even his own father1 is happily a very rare case1 but it is one which is both illustrative and suggestive4 ,he is a living emblem of the unregenerate man2 who is a selfish being1 loving nothing but what ministers to his own sensual gratifications4 ,he has no heart to revere and love his heavenly ,father1 and is consequently unfit for heaven1 and unfit to live amongst1 and associate with the pure and happy spirits who dwell there4 ,if he were taken to heaven in his present moral and spiritual condition1 he would appear as strange a being amongst them1 as this man does amongst you--shunning all1 for want of congeniality of taste and disposition2 and shunned by all as odious and repulsive2 his expulsion would be an act of necessity1 both in relation to himself and to others4 ,hence it is obvious from the nature of the case1 as well as from the ,word of ,god1 that before an unregenerate man is meet for heaven1 the sentence of condemnation which is recorded against him must1 by an act of free grace1 be repealed1 and then all his sins are forgiven4 ,in addition to this1 he must be renewed in the spirit of his mind1 and a spiritual life must be breathed into him by the power of the ,divine ,spirit4 ,i have1 ,sir1 ,i think1 a clear apprehension of what you mean by an act of grace in repealing the sentence of condemnation recorded against us for the sins we commit2 but you say1 that in addition to this we need the infusion into our mind of a new life1 which you call a spiritual life4 ,but if we are pardoned by an act of free grace1 will not this secure to us an admission into heaven1 without that additional operation to which you refer1 and of which ,i can form no clear conception8 ,the exercise of free grace in pardoning a sinner is merely exempting him from a liability to punishment in this world1 and in the world to come2 but if he remain unrenewed1 he will be the same in his moral principles1 in his predilections1 and antipathies1 after he is pardoned1 as he was while under a sentence of condemnation4 ,he will feel no filial reverence for ,god2 the love of ,christ will not glow in his soul2 he will possess no aptitude to hold fellowship with the pure spirits of the celestial world2 nor can he live and move amongst them with dignity and ease1 as one of their order4 ,i perceive1 ,sir1 the drift of your meaning2 but yet it is enveloped in mysticism4 ,one moment ,i seem to have it2 but it is gone ere ,i can lay hold of it2 it flits before me1 and vanishes4 ,however1 there is one question which ,i shall feel obliged by you replying to3 ,by what process can ,i originate1 or get originated1 this new spiritual life into my soul2 and how must ,i set about it8 ,you cannot1 ,sir1 originate it4 ,as you cannot pardon yourself1 neither can you renew yourself4 ,this remark fell with terrible force on his spirit1 and cast a deep gloom on his countenance4 ,he looked fearfully anxious1 like a man who1 on gaining an eminence apparently beyond the reach of the tide1 sees his connection with the shore cut off by the unexpected rising of the waters4 ,i am1 then1 in a hopeless condition6 ,it appears1 ,sir1 from your statement1 that ,i came into existence in a state of spiritual death1 and consequent condemnation1 without possessing any self-quickening power4 ,this1 if true1 forces upon me the conviction that ,i must look upon myself as a poor unfortunate being1 involved in a tremendous calamity1 which ,i could not avoid1 and from which ,i cannot extricate myself4 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i am in a state of hopeless and irrecoverable misery4 ,no1 ,sir1 neither irrecoverable nor hopeless2 for ,god1 who is rich in mercy to pardon1 is also rich in mercy to renew and quicken you into newness of life4 ,but will ,he do it8 ,yes1 if you are willing to have it done4 ,willing6 ,sir2 ,i am anxious to be saved1 and saved on any terms1 and by any process4 ,i am willing to submit to any privations1 any self-humiliation1 any physical or mental tortures1 to obtain the hope of salvation4 ,one of the principles of ,god's wise and gracious administration is embodied in the following absolute promise made to his ancient people1 accompanied by its contingent condition3--',a new heart also will ,i give you1 and a new spirit will ,i put within you3 and ,i will take away the stony heart out of your flesh1 and ,i will give you an heart of flesh4 ,and ,i will put my ,spirit within you1 and cause you to walk in my statutes1 and ye shall keep my judgments1 and do them4 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god2 ,i will yet for this be enquired of by the house of ,israel1 to do it for them2 ,i will increase them with men like a flock' 7,ezek4 xxxvi4 #bf1 #bg1 #cg74 ,a new spirit and a new heart is what you need1 and now want2 this ,god alone can give1 and for this you must pray with great earnestness4 ,we now arrived at ,aston1 where1 after having tea1 we sauntered out as before into the garden1 and entered the grotto to admire the view4 ,here ,mr4 ,ryder resumed the thread of our conversation by saying3--,permit me to ask you a question1 which ,i feel to be important4 ,when the ,divine ,spirit breathes this spiritual life into the soul of a man who has been living in a state of spiritual death1 is he conscious of the change produced8 ,in some rare instances1 ,i believe that a man does feel the action of the renewing and life-giving power of the ,divine ,spirit1 at the very instant of time he is passing from death to life1 though he may not then know by whom the spiritual operation is performed4 ,but1 ,sir1 as it is only rarely that such a sudden transition from death to life takes place1 by what signs are we to determine its actual occurrence1 when it is the result of a more lengthened process8 ,i believe the infusion of spiritual life in the soul of man is always an instantaneous act1 though a long time may and often does elapse before he actually knows that he is quickened into newness of life4 ,and in all cases the signs by which we may decide as to its actual occurrence1 are very similar to those by which we determine the reality of our physical existence4 ,for example1 ,i am conscious that ,i am alive1 because ,i breathe1 feel1 see1 and hear1 which ,i could not do if ,i were not alive4 ,by a similar criterion we arrive at a satisfactory belief of the reality of our spiritual life4 ,i am made alive from the dead2 and as a proof of it1 ,i can utter the voice of prayer and of praise4 ,i feel sin to be a loathsome burden1 offensive to my taste2 ,i can see the glory of ,christ displayed in his life1 in his sufferings1 and in his death4 ,i can hear the voice of the ,lord speaking to me in his promises1 to comfort and strengthen me2 and in his precepts1 commanding my subjection and resignation to his sovereign will2 ,i can walk in the way of his commandments1 and feel obedience to be a source of gratitude and delight4 ,i often hunger and thirst after a more perfect conformity to his righteousness2 and now my meditations on ,god are sweet and delightful2 and ,i can say--',whom have ,i in heaven but thee8 and there is none upon earth that ,i desire beside thee' 7,psal4 lxxiii4 #be74 ,these are the unmistakeable signs of spiritual life4 ,you certainly1 ,sir1 have supplied me with ample materials for thinking and reflection1 and made an opening for my more easy understanding of the ,bible4 ,but there is one question of a more direct personal nature1 which ,i wish to propose1 and it is this--,what am ,i to do8 ,i am restless and unhappy4 ,i want relief4 ,where1 and how1 can ,i obtain it8 ,what positive thing am ,i to do1 or suffer1 to obtain it8 ,that is the great question with me now4 ,i perceive that the ulterior design of the ,christian scheme of revelation is to restore man to the moral state from which he is fallen2 but ,i have now to do with the present time1 and the present state of my mind4 ,what am ,i to do1 or suffer1 to gain peace of mind1 and get that new spiritual life1 of which you have been speaking8 ,i am happy1 ,sir1 that it is in my power to give a specific1 and ,i trust a satisfactory reply to your question4 ,you are awakened out of your long dormant state of moral insensibility1 to see and to feel your real character and condition in relation to ,god and eternity4 ,this is the primary cause of your mental disquietude and restlessness4 ,you have sought for relief in the outward forms of religion1 and in the services and sacraments of the ,church2 but you have not succeeded in obtaining it4 ,these expedients have proved to you the mirage of hope1 not the well-spring of relief4 ,happily1 there is a relieving power yet in reserve1 which will not deceive or disappoint you--',for the ,son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost' 7,luke xix4 #aj74 ,as ,jesus ,christ came into the world to save sinners1 he will not refuse to save any sinner who makes his appeal to his compassion and his power4 ,indeed1 he assures us--',all that the ,father giveth me shall come to me2 and him that cometh to me ,i will in no wise cast out' 7,john vi4 #cg74 ,he now arose1 evidently much impressed1 and walked slowly out of the grotto1 pacing to and fro along the gravel walk4 ,after some time ,i moved off in an opposite direction2 but at length we again met4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 he said1 you will excuse my uncourteous act in leaving you2 but ,i wished1 by a little calm reflection1 to settle in my mind the important statement which you have given me1 before the vivid impressions which it produced went off4 ,i trust ,i shall long remember this interview2 and ,i hope the day may come when you will hail me as a fellow-disciple of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i then prayed with him1 and shortly after took my departure4 ,i did not see his sister on this occasion1 as she was from home1 but ,i left a copy of ,dr4 ,doddridge's ,sermons on ,regeneration1 with a note begging her acceptance of it1 and a request that she would read it carefully4 ,several months after this visit1 when ,i had returned home to my ordinary duties1 ,i received the subjoined letter from ,mr4 ,ryder1 which ,i read with emotions of gratitude and praise to ,him who works all things after the counsel of his own will3-- ,,aston1 #beth ,february1 #ah--4 ,,rev4 ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,the conversation which passed between us1 when ,i had the pleasure of a visit from you some months since1 supplied the clue which ,i had long been searching for1 to a right understanding of the ,word of ,god on the great practical questions relating to my present happiness and final salvation4 ,i know that my knowledge is still very superficial1 but ,i trust ,i now understand the hidden mystery2 what it is to pass from death to life2 and from a state of guilt and condemnation to pardon and acceptance4 ,i have taken the one decisive step1 and cast myself at the feet of the ,saviour1 pleading his own promise1 and he has given me rest4 ,i have now obtained--what ,i long sought for in vain--peace of mind1 and a good hope of final happiness2 because ,i have been diverted from the refuge of lies1 in which ,i too long trusted1 to the true source of consolation4 ,you will not be surprised to hear1 that the ministry of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole became more and more distasteful1 as ,i advanced in my knowledge of ,christ and the mystery of redemption1 till at length ,i reluctantly withdrew from his church1 which ,i have attended from my childhood4 ,i now attend the church of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 an excellent preacher and pastor1 whom ,i believe you know4 ,and it is with no slight emotions of joyous delight1 that ,i have it in my power to inform you1 that my beloved sister has been brought to feel the renewing influence of religion on her heart4 ,this blessed result has been brought about by reading the incomparable sermons of ,dr4 ,doddridge1 which you so kindly gave to her4 ,being favoured with the enlightened and soul-searching ministry of our excellent pastor1 she soon obtained joy and peace in believing4 ,while ,i was left to wander in darkness1 or in twilight1 through many an anxious month1 at times nearly despairing of a successful issue1 her translation from darkness into light was almost instantaneous4 ,she is now my helper in the ,lord2 and the affection which always subsisted between us is now doubly strengthened by the ties of ,christian love and sympathy4 ,i hope that ere long you will again be in this part of the country2 and ,i need not say how glad my sister and ,i should be to see you4--,with every sentiment of respect1 in which ,anna joins1 believe me1 yours very sincerely1 ,j4 ,,ryder4 ,,the ,,sceptic ,,reclaimed4 ,before leaving ,fairmount to return home1 ,i was unexpectedly gratified by a letter from ,mr4 ,gordon1 who had learned1 from a mutual acquaintance1 of my having gone to pay a visit to my friends in the west of ,england4 ,his communication1 upon the whole1 much pleased me1 and revived hopes which had almost ceased to exist4 ,it satisfied me that his mind was restless1 yielding in some slight degree to the force of facts and evidence1 though he still clung pertinaciously to his sceptical notions4 ,he wrote as follows3--,i have been prosecuting my inquiries on what you call the grand question1 having read carefully ,dr4 ,bogue's essay1 which you kindly presented to me4 ,i have also conned over some of the facts and evidences which you brought forward at our last interview4#ch ,this1 ,i presume1 you will say is taking a step or two in the right direction2 and ,i suppose you will wish to know the practical result4 ,i will first give you the negative3 it has not issued in what you would hail as a glorious triumph--my conversion to the ,christian faith4 ,no2 ,i am what ,i was when you left me--still a decided unbeliever4 ,my heart recoils from admitting that a theory of religion1 enveloped in such mystery1 and accompanied by such conditions1 can claim a ,divine origin4 ,however1 this much ,i will confess1 that it has led me to revise1 in some slight degree1 my own theory of belief1 or what you may call my disbelief4 ,you will excuse me going into detail1 as that would spin out this letter to a tedious length4 ,i admit1 then1 that ,christianity may work very beneficially amongst savages2 and it may promote the happiness of persons of intelligence and taste1 who are trained up under its influence4 ,i have now no desire to exterminate it4 ,indeed1 ,i would rather consent to let the venerable tree1 which has taken such deep root in popular prejudices1 or1 if you prefer it1 in popular sympathies1 remain to afford shade and shelter to you who regard it as the tree of life1 than ,i would touch it to injure it4 ,no1 ,sir2 ,i respect the taste and feelings of others too much to wish to deprive them of the object of their attachment and veneration4 #ch ,vol4 ii4 p4 #id4 ,mr4 ,gordon concluded his letter by saying that he hoped to have the pleasure of seeing me in ,london1 as he presumed that ,i should pass through the metropolis on my way to my own town4 ,about a week after receiving this letter ,i quitted ,fairmount1 leaving ,mrs4 ,orme1 who was still to remain for a few weeks longer at ,rockhill4 ,from the pressure of my engagements in the metropolis ,i was unable to make out my purposed call on ,mr4 ,gordon4 ,having occasion1 however1 about four months afterwards1 to go to ,london to preach a charity sermon1 ,i set out one evening to see him2 but on reaching his house1 was concerned to find that he was in a very precarious state of health1 and had been unable to go out for some time4 ,on sending up my card1 ,i was at once admitted1 and found him in the drawing-room reclining on the sofa4 ,he looked very ill2 but1 judging from the expression of his countenance1 ,i thought he was glad to see me4 ,on making some inquiries as to the length of his confinement1 and the nature of his disorder1 he made a reply which brought on a lengthened conversation4 ,it is now1 he said1 nearly three months since ,i was in the city2 and it is doubtful whether ,i shall ever go there again4 ,is your disorder1 then1 of such a threatening character8 ,why1 yes1 it baffles ,lawrence4 ,but he is now trying another medicine1 which he hopes will take effect2 if not1 he says1 ,i must prepare for the worst4 ,i hope1 then1 you are making the necessary preparations4 ,to be candid1 ,sir1 ,i am the same man as when we had the last chat on the question of ,christian missions1 with this only difference--then ,i was in vigorous health1 but now ,i am prostrated by disease1 and disease which threatens to be fatal1 though it does not give me much pain4 ,you must no doubt feel some anxiety when so near death--on the eve of the final extinction of your being1 or of passing into another world of existence1 and for ever8 ,why1 yes1 ,i am no stoic2 and therefore ,i feel emotions both novel and painful4 ,i would rather live than die1 especially if ,i could recover my usual health and energy2 because it is better to be1 than not to be4 ,the prospect of a termination to my existence is no pleasing theme for reflection4 ,then you still believe that when death comes you will cease to exist1 and perish for ever like the beasts of the field8 ,that is my belief4 ,but you may be mistaken4 ,i admit it1 because mere belief and positive knowledge are two very different things4 ,then you are living in a state of uncertainty2 as you know not whether you will be annihilated or live on for ever in another state of existence4 ,surely this must give rise to some fearful and depressing thoughts4 ,no1 ,i cannot say that it does1 because ,i think the ,deity who brought me into existence without my solicitation1 and who has given me such a large portion of enjoyment throughout life1 will still befriend me1 if he decide that ,i shall continue to exist after death in another world4 ,that ,i shall continue to exist1 however1 ,i do not expect4 ,but do you not perceive the fallacious ground on which your expectation is placed1 unless you believe1 and without any clear evidence1 that the ,deity has made a special dispensation in your behalf8 ,i don't quite understand you4 ,why1 you infer that your future condition of existence1 if you are to live after death1 will be similar to the one which you have enjoyed here1 and which has been1 upon the whole1 a very favourable one4 ,suppose another person proceed on the same principle1 he must infer1 that his future condition will be a most painful and unfortunate one1 simply because his present condition is so4 ,there is1 then1 a self-evident and a dangerous fallacy in the proposition which allows two persons to draw from it such opposite inferences1 the one for1 and the other against himself1 and without any reference to personal conduct or character4 ,there may be a logical fallacy in my proposition1 and in my reasoning on it2 but it is the only ground of hope1 when1 in some moments of misgiving1 ,i am led to admit the possibility of passing into another state of existence4 ,well1 then1 you are reduced to the necessity of making one admission1 which is a terrible rebuke to your sceptical theory4 ,indeed6 and what is that8 ,that your position1 in relation to death1 is an unenviable one1 especially when placed in comparison with that of a believer in ,christ2 indeed1 it is one which should make you recoil in terror4 ,i admit it4 ,yes1 ,sir1 if you were in the same condition with myself1 you would1 ,i have no doubt1 have visions of celestial glory flitting before your imagination1 and you would be in ecstasy4 ,yes1 a believer in ,christ has a great advantage over us1 when he approaches the crisis of his destiny4 ,no gloomy thoughts or anxieties harass his soul2 but on the contrary1 a brilliant prospect stretching far into eternity opens to his view4 ,yes1 a believer in ,christianity ought to feel a transport of joy in anticipation of his death4 ,then1 on your own admission1 death to a believer in ,christ is the morning star of a glorious day2 but to a sceptic1 it is the dark shadow of coming night4 ,i admit you have brilliant visions1 when death is coming to bear you off2 we have none1 we see nothing but darkness1 and feel at times the terror of uncertainty4 ,i admit you occupy the vantage ground then2 you stand on what you believe is a rock2 beneath us is the moving quicksand4 ,yes1 you die in general better than we do1 or can do4 ,there is no denying this2 and ,i shall not attempt to disguise it4 ,your condition1 my dear friend1 in my apprehension1 is truly appalling4 ,it agonizes me4 ,i see you standing on the edge of a tremendous precipice4 ,in a moment you may be lost1 and perish1 and for ever4 ,shall ,i pray with you1 before ,i leave you8 ,the prayer of faith may prevail for your rescue and salvation4 ,excuse me1 dear ,sir1 without supposing that ,i undervalue your generous friendship4 ,you would save me1 ,i know1 if you could4 ,but ,i have no faith1 and therefore it would not be honest to appear devout1 and ,i cannot compel myself to believe4 ,i called again before ,i left ,london1 but as he was asleep1 ,i did not see him2 but ,i saw his housekeeper1 a very intelligent1 pious woman1 in whose integrity ,i knew he had great confidence4 ,she informed me1 that when sitting with her master during one very restless night2 and thinking1 from some heavy sighs which he occasionally heaved1 that some new feelings were stirring within him1 she said to him--,it is a great pity1 ,sir1 that you will cling so firmly to your infidel opinions when they cannot comfort you4 ,you had better look up to the ,saviour2 he is able1 and he is willing to comfort and save you4 ,well1 ,mary1 he replied1 ,i admit it would be better if ,i could believe in a ,saviour1 as you do1 than to remain in my present state of uncertainty2 but ,i have no faith--,i cannot compel myself to believe4 ,then1 ,sir1 pray to the ,lord ,jesus1 and he will give you faith to trust in him for salvation4 ,he has compassion for them that are out of the right way4 ,but how can ,i pray1 when ,i have no faith in prayer8 ,it may all be true what you believe1 and if it should1 ,i am irrecoverably lost1 and for ever2 but ,i have no faith in such a tremendous issue4 ,but1 ,sir1 such a tremendous issue may be certain1 even though you do not believe it2 and the bare possibility of its occurrence should alarm you4 ,i admit that1 but ,i can't compel myself to believe4 ,i returned home with a heavy heart1 feeling as a humane person feels1 on coming out of the prison1 where he has had the last agonizing interview with an old friend1 whom he has left under the sentence of death4 ,having requested ,mr4 ,gordon's housekeeper to let me know if any change took place in his health1 ,i received a note from her a few weeks afterwards1 saying1 the crisis was past1 and that he was so far restored1 that he was now at ,maidenhead1 trying the effect of a change of air and scene4 ,this gave me pleasure--as a respite sometimes issues in a rescue4 ,his form was ever before me4 ,many a petition did ,i offer up to the ,hearer of prayer in his behalf2 and more than once1 on rising from my knees1 ,i felt a strong persuasion that the prayer of faith would prevail4 ,it was after a very remarkable season of special devotion1 when ,i pleaded with the ,lord with intense and hallowed earnestness1 that ,i received from him the following letter1 which was an ample recompense for all my labours and anxieties3-- ,,rev4 ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,i yield at last4 ,my only hope for pardon and peace is in the precious blood of ,christ4 ,my heart is too full to write much4 ,it is full to overflowing4 ,do come and see me1 and ,i will tell you all4 ,i can secure you a spare room not far from my own lodgings4--,yours truly1 ,,arthur ,,gdordon4 ,i set off immediately1 and spent several days with him2 and had from him and his housekeeper a detailed statement of the occurrences which had taken place1 and which ,i will now reduce to continuous order1 for the gratification of the reader4 ,he had taken lodgings in a cottage occupied by a poor but pious family1 and which was pleasantly situated near the banks of the ,thames4 ,though he had no regard for the exercises of family devotion1 yet he had no very strong antipathy to them4 ,he therefore felt no annoyance by hearing the good man read and pray with his family morning and evening1 though no one knew that he was in the habit of listening4 ,the simple1 yet earnest petitions 7as ,mr4 ,gordon afterwards confessed7 which were offered up to the ,hearer of prayer1 in behalf of the stranger1 for his restoration to the enjoyment of perfect health1 and that his affliction might be sanctified to his spiritual benefit1 often made a deep impression on his heart1 but it passed away without any appearance of a beneficial result4 ,an incident now occurred which had nearly proved fatal to him1 but it was overruled for good4 ,he went with a party of friends to spend the day at ,marlow2 and as they calculated on the probability of seeing some wild ducks1 one gentleman took his gun with him4 ,on their return down the river in the evening1 they resolved1 as it felt rather cold1 to walk the last two or three miles4 ,in stepping out of the boat1 one of the party slipped1 and at that moment the loaded gun1 which he carried in his hand1 went off2 ,mr4 ,gordon1 who was a little in advance1 and stooping down to fasten his shoe1 fell1 and his hat was blown to shivers4 ,all were terror-struck1 under the impression that he was killed2 but it was soon discovered that he had sustained no injury1 beyond a slight wound on the right side of his forehead1 and the tip of his ear1 which were slightly grazed4 ,they pressed around him with their congratulations2 one facetiously remarking1 that he must have been born under a lucky star1 to dodge death so dexterously1 when it was so near him4 ,the accident1 and the escape1 naturally engaged more of their conversation than any of the other occurrences of the day2 but there was no reference to the special providence of ,god1 except in the usual strain of sceptical derision4 ,a pious believer1 said the facetious man1 would be for kneeling down1 and offering up a tribute of thanksgiving for your lucky escape1 ,gordon2 and so should ,i1 if ,i believed in a special ,providence4 ,i don't believe1 said another1 that ,god ever interferes in such little matters2 if he did1 he could easily have prevented the slip of the foot1 which was the first moving cause of the explosion2 and had he done that1 ,gordon would have saved his hat1 and gone home without his scars4 ,these remarks1 which at any other time would have been in harmony with his opinions and sentiments1 by his own admission1 now grated harshly on his ears2 he felt his spirit recoil from them1 and for the first time in his life wished himself out of such company4 ,he was somewhat astonished1 as he confessed to me1 by the suddenly awakened antipathies1 which beat so strongly in his heart4 ,on arriving at his lodgings1 he related to the family the particulars of his narrow escape from death2 when the good man exclaimed1 in a subdued tone of pious reverence1 ,the ,lord be praised for protecting you in such an hour of danger4 ,this1 ,sir1 is an instance of what the ,psalmist calls preventing mercy1 for which you should be truly grateful to the ,lord4 ,mr4 ,gordon knew that his servant united with the family in their evening devotions2 and thinking that this accident and escape would form a subject of reference in the prayers of the pious cottager1 he kept his door ajar1 and sat and listened4 ,he heard his servant say1 ,my master is as kind a man as walks on the earth1 and is thankful for any attentions which are paid to him by any one2 but he has no gratitude in his heart to the ,god of his mercies4 ,he lives1 as the apostle says1 without ,god in the world4 ,well1 then1 replied the good man1 if he offer up no thanksgivings to the ,lord for his miraculous escape from death1 we will do it for him2 and pray that he may be brought to feel as a child of our heavenly ,father ought to feel4 ,he then read the sixth chapter of the ,gospel of ,matthew1 remarking1 at the conclusion1 that it was a great privilege to be able to believe the consolatory and soul-sustaining truths which they had been reading4 ,one sentence in his prayer was uttered with emphatic earnestness--,we thank thee1 ,o ,lord1 for preserving the life of the stranger now sojourning with us1 when it was so near death2 and we pray that he may feel towards thee as a child ought to feel towards his heavenly ,father4 ,this touched his heart4 ,i never1 he said to me1 felt such an emotion as ,i experienced when that simple prayer was uttered4 ,it was as thrilling and as powerful as it was sudden and unexpected4 ,i immediately arose and seated myself on the sofa1 and was soon absorbed in a train of deep thought4 ,yes1 death came very near me to-night4 ,he has marked the signs of his nearness in the scar wounds on my forehead and my ear4 ,was it mere chance which gave me a hair-breadth escape from a sudden death8 ,yes1 says infidelity2 ,god never interferes in little matters4 ,but would it have been to me a little matter if ,i had had an arm blown off1 or a leg broken1 or been sent out of life into another world2 and probably to ----4 ,no4 ,it would have been a great matter then4 ,is my preservation from death to be regarded as a little matter8 ,was ,god away from the spot where my friend's foot slipped8 ,yes1 says infidelity2 and ,i should have responded to this saying before the event occurred2 but ,i cannot now4 ,i doubt my own faith2 ,i renounce it4 ,it may do at a club1 or a convivial party2 but it won't do for the spot where death was coming1 but where the victim has been miraculously rescued from his power4 ',,as ,a ,,child ,,ought ,,to ,,feel ,,towards ,,his ,,heavenly ,,father6' ,beautiful expression6 ,yes1 ,i ought to feel grateful to ,god2 but ,i have never considered him as standing in the relation of a father to me4 ,but has he not on this occasion acted like one8 ,on turning and looking carelessly round the room1 he saw his copy of ,tremaine lying on the side-board4 ,he took it up and opened it2 the chapter on ,providence caught his eye1 and he read it4 ,this1 he confessed to me1 he found to be but starlight-reading2 clear1 but cold2 brilliant1 but wanting in power2 expanding the intellect1 and charming the imagination1 but not finding its way to the heart4 ,i read1 and believed2 read1 and yet doubted4 ,i was1 he said1 completely bewildered2 but ,i recollect saying1 ,o that ,i had the faith of the cottager1 or my servant1 my mind would be in perfect peace4 ,his housekeeper1 who1 as yet1 was ignorant of the novel process of thinking which was going on in his mind1 informed me that she was astonished and delighted one evening by his asking her for the loan of her ,bible4 ,she fetched it1 and on giving it to him1 said1 ,that book1 ,sir1 will do you good1 if you pray over it when you are reading it4 ,he read the sixth chapter of ,matthew2 read it several times2 and when referring to it in our conversation1 he said1 ,what a difference1 ,sir1 between the two readings6 ,tremaine reasons closely and clearly2 he almost demonstrates and compels belief2 but there is no pathos1 no power2 the heart still remains sceptical and unmoved4 ,jesus ,christ asserts1 commands1 and promises2 the heart is captivated1 and induced to place its trust in ,god4 ,yes6 'it must be1' as the pious cottager remarked1 'an inestimable privilege to be able to believe the consolatory and soul-sustaining truths which ,i have now been reading4' ,i believe ,,now4 ,but how is this8 ,logic has not been reasoning4 ,my intellect is dormant2 and yet it is spell-bound by novel and solemn thoughts4 ,it is making new spiritual discoveries1 which1 ,i believe1 are grand realities1 but which ,i have long despised and rejected as legendary tales2 and ,i feel tranquil4 ,and yet1 as the process of reflection goes on1 ,i feel again bewildered4 ,my calm is becoming a tumult2 and out of satisfaction springs up anxiety4 ,is this a delusion1 or am ,i waking up out of a mental torpor amidst sublime spiritual realities8 ,i am conscious of a change which has come upon me1 and very unexpectedly4 ,you do not doubt its reality8 ,no1 ,sir2 it is no sham4 ,i am as conscious of its reality as ,i am of my own existence4 ,i am no sceptic now4 ,i have no hostile feeling now against the remedial scheme of salvation4 ,i adore ,christ now4 ,i can give him my heart4 ,i am astonished by my own utterances2 but they are the genuine expressions of my feelings4 ,i presume1 ,sir1 you ascribe the great change which has taken place in your belief1 and in your moral taste1 to a supernatural cause2 to what the apostle calls the grace of ,god8 ,i do1 ,sir4 ,there are three things which satisfy me that this marvellous change is the work of ,god4 ,in the first place1 ,i had no conception that such a change was either necessary or possible2 in the next place1 ,i had no more power or inclination to effect it myself than ,i have to raise a dead man to life2 and then it has been produced so suddenly1 preceded by no intimations or anticipations of such an occurrence1 and by such apparently inadequate means4 ,the simple prayers of the rustic cottager subdued me4 ,they touched my heart4 ,i could1 as you know1 withstand the assaults of the most acute and powerful reasoning2 your persuasive eloquence touched no cord of my heart4 ,i could repel1 with a sarcasm1 the most awful warnings2 and stand immoveable when death was advancing to execute the penal sentence2 but ,i could not stand out against the simple prayers of the pious cottager4 ,indeed1 ,i felt more inclined to yield than to resist4 ,it is the ,lord's doing1 and it is marvellous in my eyes4 ,he made me willing in the day of his power4 ,on this principle it can be accounted for1 but on no other4 ,reason1 as well as gratitude1 compels me to say--,by the grace of ,god1 ,i am what ,i am4 ,but ,o1 my friend1 where can ,i find language to give full expression to the astonishment and gratitude which ,i feel when reflecting on the long-suffering and the forbearance of ,god1 whose majesty ,i have so often insulted1 and whose authority ,i have set at nought1 defying his threatenings1 and spurning his overtures of mercy6 ,how marvellous the condescending compassion and grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who has at last brought me to penitence and contrition1 and given me a hope of salvation6 ,i suppose you now recal to your recollection1 at times1 some of the subjects of our former discussions2 both your objections to the various parts of revealed truth1 and how ,i endeavoured to refute them8 ,in the first place1 ,i may mention1 that from the outset1 on the ,saturday evening we first met1#ci and through every succeeding encounter1 ,i had a latent apprehension that you were right2 and that your belief1 with its consolations and prospects1 was far more conducive to human happiness1 than my disbelief1 with its suspicions and uncertainties2 ,i clearly saw1 that on your hypothesis1 the loss of life1 which is the greatest of human possessions1 would be an incalculable gain2 but on mine1 it would be an irreparable loss4 ,when reasoning in my calmer moments on these data1 ,i arrived at this conclusion--for man's sake the ,christian faith ought to be a genuine faith1 even if it is not so2 and ,i recollect when you were assigning the causes which invest the name of ,jesus ,christ with such great power over the human mind on its passing through scenes of extreme privation and peril1 and especially when passing from one world to another1 ,i felt that ,i would gladly exchange my disbelief and its uncertainties1 for your faith and its assurances4 ,i now1 ,sir1 by the grace of ,god1 can add my testimony to the truthfulness of what you asserted in that encounter4 ,the ,christian faith is both a renovating and consolatory power1 and it does the work ascribed to it2 it gives peace to a wounded spirit1 and a hope full of immortality to the guilty and morally worthless4 #ci ,vol4 i4 p4 #id4 ,you would not now willingly be what you once were8 ,be what ,i once was6 no1 ,sir4 ,as readily suppose that a glorified spirit1 if left to his own choice1 would choose to come back to earth1 to re-tread its polluting soil1 to raise again the standard of rebellion against the ,majesty of heaven1 and again intermingle with the workers of iniquity4 ,be what ,i once was6 no1 ,sir4 ,like the man in the gospel who found the pearl of great price1 ,i have no wish to lose what ,i have miraculously found2 ,i have found the ,messiah1 ,jesus ,christ the ,saviour1 mighty to save2 and to his service ,i now consecrate myself for life and for ever4 ,he took me one evening to the place where the gun-shot accident happened1 and when pointing with his stick to the spot where he fell1 he stood a while speechless1 the tears trickling down his cheeks1 when he exclaimed1 under the impulse of strong emotion1 ,what a mercy that ,i was not blown from this spot into hell6 ,on this spot1 ,sir1 ,i have stood every evening since the accident occurred1 to offer up my adorations and thanksgiving to the ,god of my mercies1 and to echo the utterance of ,paul1 ',this is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners2 of whom ,i am chief' 7#a ,tim4 i4 #ae74 ,yes1 ,sir1 and ,i will visit it when the gray hairs of age hang upon me1 if ,i am spared to old age2 and shall ,i ever forget it when in heaven8 ,but the gun-shot and my escape would have proved the materials for a profane joke in a convivial party1 had it not been for the sovereign grace of ,god1 who employed it as the precursor of my salvation--',bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul3 and all that is within me1 bless his holy name' 7,psal4 ciii4 #a74 ,he continued at ,maidenhead till his health was thoroughly re-established1 and then he returned to ,london4 ,on his reappearance at the counting-house1 in which he had long held an important office1 he received the hearty congratulations of the firm1 and of all his fellow-clerks1 by whom he was greatly respected1 for his close application to his duties1 his gentlemanly habits1 and the kindness of his disposition4 ,shortly afterwards he had occasion to pass through my town on some business of his employers1 and paid me a visit4 ,we spent a very pleasant evening together4 ,he then informed me that he had had a visit from ,mr4 ,newton1 and another infidel friend2 who called with their congratulations on his escape from the gun-shot1 and the recovery of his health1 and to propose an excursion to ,greenwich1 with a party1 on the following ,sunday4 ,this invitation he at once declined1 and added1 ,you probably will be surprised to hear that ,i renounce as false1 and as fatal1 all the sceptical sentiments and opinions ,i once held2 and now embrace with gratitude and joy the glorious gospel of ,christ1 as a true and sublime revelation of mercy and of grace4 ,in future1 my ,sabbaths will be held sacred to public worship1 in preference to any other exercises or pursuits4 ,and ,i would earnestly entreat you to turn your serious attention to the paramount claims of the gospel2 its rejection1 as a legend of superstition1 will embitter your reflections and appal your anticipations in a dying hour4 ,they listened to this with profound astonishment1 making no other remark than simply wishing him well1 and then abruptly left him4 ,i took occasion from this reference to ,newton and his companion1 to remark1 that it would have been a great blessing for himself and others1 if he had undergone this change at an earlier period of his life4 ,ah1 ,sir1 he replied1 and the tear stood in his eye as he spoke1 ,i reflect with shame1 and at times with agonizing regret1 on the efforts ,i have made to seduce others from the way of righteousness and peace4 ,my friend ,lewellin has happily escaped from the evil course into which ,i led him on his first settlement in ,london1#dj and he is now a bright star in the church of ,jesus ,christ2 but ,i fear that some have passed into the eternal world1 under the fatal delusions with which ,i perverted their minds4 ,these two old friends who lately paid me a visit of congratulation1 and others still living1 who are lost in the crowd of gaiety and dissipation1 have sustained incalculable injury from the influence of my example1 and the fatal tendency of my former sentiments and opinions4 ,a recollection of these facts will entail upon me bitter regret and stinging remorse through the whole course of my life2 and though ,i may obtain mercy from ,him whose name ,i have so often blasphemed1 yet from them ,i can expect nothing but the severest invective for having misled them1 or the keenest satire and reproach for turning a renegade1 as they will term it1 to the system of scepticism we once professed in common4 #dj ,vol4 i4 p4 #ac4 ,,the ,,rector',s ,,death-,,bed4 ,for several years ,mr4 ,ingleby's health had been gradually declining1 but to the last he displayed great vigour of intellect and vivacity of spirit4 ,when ,i saw him on the occasion of my wedding visit to ,mr4 ,lewellin1 he appeared to be still hale and active1 notwithstanding the great age which he had attained4 ,in common with the rest of his friends1 ,i expected that he might still be spared for a few years to instruct them by his counsels1 and animate them by his example4 ,mr4 ,roscoe's death1 however1 proved a severe shock to him2 he fell into a state of nervous depression2 and after a violent cold which he took in going to visit a poor cottager1 in a remote part of his parish1 his parishioners began to fear that he would soon be removed from them4 ,for several ,sabbaths he was confined to the rectory2 but when he grew a little better1 he resumed the discharge of his pastoral duties4 ,though he brought into the pulpit the stores of knowledge which he had been collecting for many years1 and felt his spirit still glowing with the ardour of an intense affection for the spiritual and eternal welfare of his hearers1 his energy was now considerably abated2 his voice1 which was originally full and commanding1 became low and enfeebled1 and he often appeared exhausted by fatigue1 even before he had half finished the service4 ,we sometimes see a congregation1 which a minister has collected together in the days of his vigour1 forsaking him in his old age1 to pay their homage to the rising sun of popularity2 preferring the voice of a comparative stranger to that of their former shepherd2 but the venerable ,ingleby was never deserted4 ,the people pressed to hear him when the silver locks of age adorned his head1 with as much eagerness as when he possessed all the energy of youth2 and felt as deep an interest in the last services which he conducted1 as in any that had preceded them4 ,it must be admitted that his situation did not bring him within the immediate influence of any strong competition for public favour2 but though many of his congregation resided much nearer other clergymen1 they nevertheless1 at all seasons of the year1 continued regular in their attendance on the ministrations of ,mr4 ,ingleby to the close of his life4 ,this attachment to their pastor took its rise in the usefulness of his public labours2 and as he had uniformly conducted himself amongst them as a holy man of ,god1 devoting his time and his influence to promote their happiness1 his character rose in their esteem as circumstances gave him an opportunity of developing it4 ,he acted on the following maxims1 which were given him by an aged clergyman1 not long after he took orders1 and the practical utility of whose advice ,mr4 ,ingleby soon experienced in securing him the permanent regard of his flock3--,preserve the sanctity of your public character in the intercourse of private and social life4 ,do not visit your people often1 except when they need your visits1 and then convince them1 that while you have no time to spare for the purposes of amusement or recreation1 you are ever ready to attend to the claims of pastoral duty4 ,avoid engaging in the commerce of the world2 yet never think that you are acting beneath the dignity of your station when engaged in giving advice to the inexperienced1 or assisting others by your counsels1 to guide their affairs with discretion4 ,let the poor of your flock know that their pastor is their friend in adversity1 their advocate when oppressed1 and will be their comforter when on the bed of sickness or of death4 ,about a month before his decease he arose on the ,sabbath morning free from pain1 the spirit of former times came upon him1 and he felt that he could get through the labours of the day1 without availing himself of the assistance which his neighbour1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 had so kindly offered4 ,the text from which he addressed the congregation was taken from #b ,pet4 i4 #ac1 #ad3--,yea1 ,i think it meet1 as long as ,i am in this tabernacle1 to stir you up1 by putting you in remembrance2 knowing that shortly ,i must put off this my tabernacle1 even as our ,lord ,jesus ,christ hath showed me4 ,when he read the words1 the attention of the people was immediately fixed on him4 ,the effect which was produced by the delivery of this discourse was very powerful4 ,it was undoubtedly much aided by the peculiar circumstances of the speaker1 who was grown gray and infirm in the service of the people1 and who in his introduction informed them1 that he was led to the choice of the subject1 under an impression1 which left no doubt of the propriety of its application to himself4 ,the aspect of the preacher1 pale1 emaciated1 standing on the verge of eternity--the simplicity and majesty of his sentiments--the sepulchral solemnity of a voice which seemed to issue from the shades1 combined with the intrinsic dignity of the subject--perfectly quelled the audience with tenderness and terror1 and produced such a scene of audible weeping as was perhaps never surpassed4 ,all other emotions were absorbed in devotional feeling2 it seemed to us as though we were permitted for a short space to look into eternity1 and every sublunary object vanished before the powers of the world to come4 ,i had often heard him1 says ,mr4 ,stevens1 in a letter which ,i received from him1 when he was more energetic1 but never when he was more impressive2 when he discovered more originality of genius1 but never when he displayed more intensity of feeling2 when he employed a more polished and a more imaginative style of address1 but never when he spoke with more authority and power2 and1 thinking with the rest of the audience1 that he was now terminating his labours1 ,i felt a high gratification that he was enabled to bring them to a close with so much credit to himself1 as the able and faithful minister of the ,new ,testament4 ,his appeal to the people1 after he had finished his discourse and closed his ,bible1 delivered in simple and unaffected language1 subdued the whole audience1 and left us1 when he had finished it1 no alternative but an involuntary burst of sorrow that we should hear no more that voice to which we had so often listened4 ,the following is an extract from the ,rector's farewell sermon3-- ,my dearly beloved brethren1 ,i have now served you in the ministry of the gospel for more than forty years1 and am on the eve of closing my labours amongst you4 ,looking back on my life1 ,i discover many defects in my character1 and many imperfections in the manner in which ,i have discharged my public duties2 these ,i most humbly deplore2 but ,i trust they have been only the ordinary infirmities of a ,christian minister1 who has uniformly aimed to reach a higher point of excellence than he could ever attain4 ,if ,i cannot1 like the great apostle of the ,gentiles1 appeal to the holiness and unblameableness of my behaviour amongst you2 yet ,i trust ,i can to the ardour of my affection1 and the fidelity of my public ministrations2 and while ,i would entreat you to cast the veil of charity over all the blemishes of my character1 ,i would1 at the same time1 charge 'every one of you1 as a father doth his children1 that ye would walk worthy of ,god1 who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory4' ,the truth which ,i have preached to you is now my support in prospect of the scene which is before me4 ,the time of my departure is at hand4 ,my course is nearly finished4 ,i shall soon stand before the judgment-seat of ,christ4 ,my eternal state shall soon be decided2 and ,i shall soon know the final decision4 ,but ,i am not alarmed4 ,i do not dread death4 ,the judgment-seat does not appal me4 ,the final sentence awakens no fearful forebodings of sorrow4 ,i am looking for the mercy of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ unto eternal life4 ,whether ,i shall ever be permitted to address you again from this pulpit1 is known only to ,him who works all things after the counsel of his own will2 nor do ,i feel very solicitous to do so4 ,if ,i should1 ,i shall appear amongst you in weakness1 if not in fear and in much trembling2 and if ,i should not1 ,i hope you will be provided with another minister1 who will1 either in this church1 or elsewhere1 as the ,lord may direct1 preach1 to you with more energy1 and with more success1 the glorious gospel which ,i have so often proclaimed to you4 ,but ,i cannot leave you without saying1 that as ,i have not shunned to declare the whole truth of ,god in the most faithful manner1 if any of you should eventually perish1 you will not have it in your power to say that it was owing to my unfaithfulness4 ,any of you perish6 ,what6 will you reject the counsel of ,god against yourselves8 ,will you refuse to come to ,jesus ,christ1 that you may have life8 ,will you neglect the great salvation1 which has been made known unto you2 and sink down to endless woe under the accumulated guilt of your impenitence8 ,must ,i be compelled to appear as a witness against any of you1 in that day when ,god shall judge the secrets of men by ,jesus ,christ according to my gospel8 and1 instead of seeing you accepted in the ,beloved1 shall ,i see you banished from the presence of the ,lord for ever8 ,and must ,i now terminate my labours amongst you1 under the awful impression1 that while they have been the means of saving some1 they have become the innocent occasion of aggravating the just condemnation of others8 and thus1 like the apostle1 while to some ,i have been the savour of life unto life1 must ,i be to others the savour of death unto death8 ,when the service was over1 many of the people crowded into the aisle though which he passed2 some stood in the porch of the church1 others along the pathway which led across the graveyard1 and some few followed him to the rectory1 to shake hands with him and bid him farewell2 sorrowing1 like the elders of ,ephesus1 when they fell on ,paul's neck and kissed him1 most of all that they should see his face no more4 ,this spontaneous expression of attachment1 on the part of the people1 deeply affected the venerable man1 who wept as he reiterated his parting benediction to the aged and the young2 and though he had strength given him to go through this trying hour1 yet1 on entering his parlour1 he complained of a giddiness1 and immediately fell fainting into the arms of ,mr4 ,lewellin4 ,this excited considerable alarm through the whole family2 and one of the servants1 in the paroxysm of her agony1 sent forth the report that her master was dead4 ,on his being removed into the open air1 however1 he soon revived1 though1 from the distorted appearance of his countenance1 it was evident that he had received a slight paralytic stroke4 ,he slept the greater part of the afternoon1 but towards evening became very animated1 and for several hours conversed1 with great cheerfulness1 on the immortality of the soul1 and its final and blissful destiny4 ,when ,socrates was under sentence of death1 he assured his friends1 who came to offer him their sympathy1 that his chief support in prospect of taking the fatal draught1 was an expectation1 not unmixed with doubts1 of a happy existence after death4 ,from reasoning and reflecting on the subject1 he had been led to the conviction that something of man remains after his decease1 and that the condition of good men will at last be better than that of the bad2 but he could not discover in all his researches1 any positive evidence in support of this opinion2 and hence1 while he expressed a hope of entering the invisible world on passing away from this1 he candidly acknowledged that he had his doubts4 ,my situation1 said the venerable ,ingleby1 is more enviable than that of the sage of ,athens4 ,he doubted the immortality of the soul1 while ,i firmly believe it4 ,and why do ,i believe it8 ,not because my nature revolts at the thought of annihilation2 not because ,i feel an instinctive desire to outlive the triumphs of death2 but because ,he who sees the end from the beginning has said1 that the wicked 'shall go away into everlasting punishment2 but the righteous shall go into life eternal4' ,we ought1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 to be very thankful to the ,author of revelation1 for having announced the fact of our immortality in such a clear and unequivocal manner2 for it has always struck me1 that no other argument can be admitted as conclusive1 but the testimony of one who has an actual knowledge of an endless futurity4 ,i quite agree with you1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby2 for how is it possible for any being to know that ,i shall live for ever but that ,great ,being who knows the end from the beginning8 ,the communications which we have in the ,bible1 on this subject1 are professedly his testimony2 but if we reject these communications as fabulous1 we must either give up our hope of immortality1 as an idle fancy1 or abandon ourselves to that state of dubious uncertainty1 in which the ,athenian sage lived and died4 ,and to this dilemma the infidels of modern times are reduced2 hence1 while they cannot disbelieve in a future state of existence1 they cannot anticipate it with any degree of confidence4 ,if the gospel be1 what they say it is1 a cunningly devised fable1 which has its origin1 not in the records of truth1 but in the invention of man1 it is a fable which is eminently conducive to human happiness2 and ,i should consider that man my enemy1 who would even attempt to expose its fallacy4 ,i am now near the close of life1 the tomb is opening to receive me1 and ere long ,i shall cease to be an inhabitant of this world4 ,am ,i to perish like the beasts of the field8 or am ,i to exist in another state of being8 ,these are questions which now present themselves to my mind1 with an air of solemn majesty1 which they never before assumed2 but to whom can ,i propose them1 with any hope of obtaining a satisfactory reply8 ,there is no voice which speaks1 but that which comes from the excellent glory2 and that voice tells me1 that this mortal shall put on immortality2 that death shall be swallowed up in victory2 and it teaches me to offer my thanksgivings to ,god1 who hath given me the victory over the fear of death1 and the terror of the grave1 through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,the language1 observed ,mr4 ,stevens1 which our ,lord addressed to his disciples1 just before his departure1 to assuage the violence of their grief1 is no less calculated to afford us consolation under our sufferings1 especially when we are brought near the verge of eternity3--',let not your heart be troubled3 ye believe in ,god1 believe also in me4 ,in my ,father's house are many mansions3 if it were not so1 ,i would have told you4 ,i go to prepare a place for you4 ,and if ,i go and prepare a place for you1 ,i will come again1 and receive you unto myself2 that where ,i am1 there ye may be also4' ,i do believe in ,him1 replied the ,rector1 and enjoy the influence of that belief1 in the calm placidity of my mind4 ,i do believe that he is preparing a place for me amongst the mansions of the blessed1 and ,i enjoy the influence of that belief in the sublime anticipations of hope4 ,yes1 ,i shall soon see him in all the glory of his majesty1 and in all the tenderness of his compassion2 and with the rest of the redeemed ,i shall soon bow down in his presence with mingled emotions of astonishment and delight6 ,with astonishment1 that he ever condescended to love me1 and to employ me in his service2 and with delight1 at the scenes which ,i shall then behold1 and the voices which ,i shall then hear4 ,then shall ,i be satisfied when ,i am assimilated to the ,divine likeness4 ,you have then no doubt of your final salvation8 ,no1 ,sir2 ,i wait for it as an event of absolute certainty4 ,i perceive1 rejoined ,mr4 ,stevens1 that you now make no reference to the opinion which you have so often expressed respecting the 'different degrees of glory which the righteous will have conferred on them in the heavenly world4' ,i am too deeply anxious on the more important point of getting into heaven1 to bestow even a moment's consideration on the degree of my future happiness4 ,i know ,i shall have infinitely more than ,i deserve2 even if ,i should have less than the least of all saints2 and ,i am perfectly willing to take what portion my ,lord may assign me1 under a full conviction that-- ',the man who dwells where ,jesus is1 ,must be completely blest4' ,i once heard you say1 remarked ,mrs4 ,stevens1 that you had no doubt but we should know each other in the heavenly world4 ,have you1 ,sir1 on more mature deliberation1 been induced to change that opinion8 ,no1 ,madam4 ,when ,i enter heaven1 ,i shall not forget that ,i was once an inhabitant of earth--that ,i once lived in a state of rebellion against ,god--that he was pleased to bring me to repentance and faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ--that he employed me in the ministry1 and assigned to me the parish of ,broadhurst as the scene of my labours--that ,i associated in the days of my pilgrimage1 with you and your husband1 your nephew and his wife1 and other ,christian friends--and that in the exercise of social communion ,i once enjoyed some tokens of the ,divine favour4 ,if then we shall retain a distinct recollection of places and occurrences connected with our earthly sojourn1 we shall surely not forget the persons who gave to those places and occurrences their chief interest and importance4 ,suppose ,i should now1 while you are sitting by my side1 steal out of life1 and enter heaven1 should ,i on my passage lose a remembrance of the room in which ,i expired1 or the events which have transpired this day8 ,impossible6 ,and could ,i remember these things1 without remembering you and my other pious friends8 ,and when you arrive1 and are presented faultless1 will you not be presented faultless in the individuality of your person1 with all your remembrances of places1 of persons1 and events fresh upon you8 ,and will it be possible for us to associate with each other without making some reference to the former state of our existence1 which will necessarily lead to a discovery of who we are1 and from whence we came1 even if there should be no more direct method of gaining a knowledge of each other8 ,but apart from this general reasoning1 we may appeal to the ,scriptures1 which1 ,i think1 give their decided sanction to these views4 ,hence we find the apostle1 when writing to the ,thessalonians1 who had through his instrumentality been converted to the faith of ,christ1 says1 ',for what is our hope1 or joy1 or crown of rejoicing8 ,are not even ye in the presence of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ at his coming8 ,for ye are our glory and joy4' ,i cannot affix any meaning to this passage1 unless ,i believe1 that each apostle1 and every minister in every succeeding age of the church1 will know the persons who have been converted to ,god through their instrumentality2 and that from this knowledge will arise some peculiar degree of glory and of joy4 ,then1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 doubtless you can now anticipate a high degree of felicity from this source1 as ,god has been pleased to make your ministry very useful8 ,i have no doubt but ,i shall partake of this source of happiness2 but ,i am not now anticipating it4 ,my mind is too deeply occupied by the important question of getting into heaven1 to bestow one solitary thought on the minor questions of our speculative belief4 ,i am nearing the borders of the holy land of promise2 living now in the anticipation of soon seeing the ,king in his beauty1 and of undergoing that transformation which ,i shall feel when ,i see him4 ,then1 ,sir1 you think you will 'shortly put off this tabernacle1' and enter that 'house which is not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens8' ,yes1 ,mr4 ,lewellin2 and ,i can put it off with as much composure as ,i can throw aside a worn-out surplice4 ,the time of my departure is near4 ,but1 said ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 what shall we do when you are taken from us8 ,we shall be like the sheep1 when the shepherd is gone6 ,no1 my dear friend1 the great ,shepherd may pitch another fold1 and lead you to another pasturage2 but he will still 'feed his flock2 he will gather the lambs with his arm1 and carry them in his bosom1 and will gently lead those that are with young4' ,his friends now left him to repose4 ,he slept through the greater part of the night1 but towards the morning became very restless--often complaining of a strange sensation in his head4 ,he took a light breakfast1 and as he felt rather drowsy1 requested that he might not be disturbed4 ,about noon he awoke2 but felt no disposition to rise4 ,he again took a little nourishment1 and again fell asleep1 and slept till near five o'clock4 ,when he awoke he asked the hour1 but he paid no attention to the reply which was made to him4 ,his physician now gave it as his decided opinion that he would not live through the night4 ,he is in no pain2 and if ,i judge from the state of his pulse1 ,i should suppose that his life will gradually depart from him2 perhaps when he is asleep4 ,but about seven o'clock he suddenly revived1 sat up in his bed1 and requested to have his hands and his face washed4 ,when this office of kindness was performed for him1 by ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 he looked on her for some moments without uttering a word2 and then stretching out his hand he said1 ,my dear1 ,i thank you4 ,you have not anointed me against my burial2 but you have refreshed me to encounter the last enemy4 ,death is upon me1 but he does not come in a terrific form4 ,no2 he is changed from the king of terrors into an angel of deliverance4 ,i will thank you1 ,sir1 addressing himself to ,mr4 ,lewellin1 to read the eighth chapter of ,paul's ,epistle to the ,romans1 and then pray for me2 and pray that ,i may be favoured with a sense of the ,divine presence when passing through the valley of the shadow of death4 ,mr4 ,lewellin having complied with his wishes1 the venerable pastor then gave his friends his blessing2 exhorting them to cleave to the ,lord with full purpose of heart4 ,after remaining silent for some minutes1 during which time he appeared to be in the solemn act of commending his soul to ,god1 he looked round with great benignity of countenance1 and said1 ,why1 my children1 do you weep8 ,is it possible1 ,sir1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin replied1 for us to lose such a pastor and such a friend without weeping8 ,well1 ,i will forgive your tears1 because ,i know you love me2 but ,i cannot weep with you4 ,though ,i have not before me that scene of martyrdom which presented itself to the great apostle of the ,gentiles1 when addressing his son ,timothy1 yet ,i can adopt the triumphant language which he then uttered1 and with an equal degree of confidence3--',i am now ready to be offered1 and the time of my departure is at hand4 ,i have fought a good fight1 ,i have finished my course1 ,i have kept the faith4 ,henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness1 which the ,lord1 the righteous ,judge1 shall give me at that day3 and not to me only1 but unto all them also that love his appearing4' ,and having uttered these words he reclined his head on his pillow1 and gently breathed his last4 ,,the ,,rector',s ,,funeral4 ,upon the report of the pastor's death being spread through the village1 a sudden shock was felt by almost every one1 though the event itself did not excite much surprise4 ,he had lived so long amongst his parishioners1 and had endeared himself to them by so many acts of kindness1 that they wept for him1 as an affectionate child mourns for the loss of his father2 and even the worldly and indifferent concurred in paying a just tribute of respect to his memory4 ,on the day of his funeral1 an immense concourse of people assembled4 ,the instructions which he had given to his friend1 ,mr4 ,stevens1 respecting his funeral1 were minutely attended to2 and they were in strict accordance with the chaste simplicity of character which he had maintained through life4 ,there was no hearse with its nodding plumes--no hired mourners2 he had selected twelve of the senior members of his church to carry his body to the tomb1 and fixed on the spot where the bier was to rest while they relieved each other from the fatigue of carrying his mortal remains4 ,the procession moved from the rectory about ten o'clock in the morning1 preceded by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion and two other clergymen--followed by a few of his relations and a long train of friends1 walking three a-breast1 in deep mourning--many of his poorer parishioners1 having only a piece of crape on their hats1 fell into the rear1 which was closed by the children of the ,sunday-school1 who wore a similar badge of grief4 ,immediately as the procession began to move1 the bell1 which had been tolling for more than an hour1 ceased till the bier stopped at the appointed resting-place1 when it again commenced to send forth its melancholy sounds4 ,on entering the churchyard1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion began the solemn service by repeating the animating words of ,jesus ,christ--,i am the resurrection and the life2 he that believeth in me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live4 ,the coffin was taken into the church1 and placed on an elevated platform before the pulpit1 so as to be distinctly seen by the whole congregation2 and after a few minutes1 during which time the people were taking their seats1 ,mr4 ,guion began reading1 in a most solemn and impressive manner1 the lessons which are appointed for such an occasion4 ,agreeably to the custom at funeral obsequies in former times1 after he had finished the two lessons1 he ascended the pulpit1 and delivered a discourse from the following appropriate text--,sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake1 that they should see his face no more 7,acts xx4 #ch74 ,after a short and judicious introduction1 he called attention to the following remarks1 which he illustrated and enforced with great effect3-- ,the decease of a minister is an event of great importance-- ,i4 ,in relation to himself4 ,no class of men occupy a station so important1 or are called to discharge duties so momentous1 as ministers of the gospel4 ,the eloquent advocate who pleads at the bar1 sometimes snatches the victim from the altar1 against whose life the foul conspirator has brought his charge1 and he retires from the scene of his labours amidst the plaudits of the people2 but in a few years they both sink into the same silent earth1 and a remote posterity remains ignorant of their anxieties and of their triumphs4 ,the fearless senator attacks iniquity in the high places of its dominion1 or rouses up the slumbering principle of justice to vindicate her insulted honours2 but he sleeps with his fathers1 and having received the honour of his country's applause he is conveyed to the mansions of the dead4 ,the effects of their labours terminate with the occasion of their exercise2 or if they should stretch into a distant futurity1 they are circumscribed within the boundaries of time4 ,from man they receive their commission1 and to man they resign it when it is executed2 and though their conduct will undergo a revision at the day of judgment1 yet it is from man they receive their official discharge4 ,but it is not so with us4 ,it is true that we are under some degree of responsibility to our superiors in the ecclesiastical hierarchy1 and it is equally true that we are under some degree of responsibility to the people of our cure2 but our chief responsibility relates to a higher tribunal1 and a more important decision awaits us than any which man can pronounce4 ,fix your attention for a moment on a minister of the gospel1 see him tottering on the brink of eternity--he falls1 we catch his descending mantle1 'sorrowing most of all that we shall see his face no more2 but while we are making preparations to perform his funeral obsequies1 he is giving up an account of his stewardship4 ,then the motives which induced him to enter the ministerial office1 and which induced him to continue it--the manner in which he spent his time1 and discharged the hallowed duties devolving on him--will undergo a strict investigation1 and the final sentence will be pronounced1 which will fix his doom in raptures or in woe1 for ever4 ,if he be found faithful1 he will receive the commendation of his ,master2 but if unfaithful1 he will be cast into outer darkness1 'where their worm dieth not1 and the fire is not quenched4' ,it is an event of importance in relation-- ,,ii4 ,to the people of his charge4 ,they lose their spiritual teacher1 their counsellor1 their friend1 and their example4 ,yes6 and some of you who are now looking on that coffin1 if permitted to give utterance to your sentiments1 would say1 ',there lies the holy man of ,god1 who met me in my mad career of folly and of crime1 and was the means of turning my feet into the way of peace4' ',there he lies1' another could say1 'who1 when ,i was perishing for thirst1 opened my eyes1 and showed me the well of living waters4' ',alas6' another would exclaim1 ',i shall now see his face no more2 who1 when ,i was sinking into despair1 under the virulence of my moral malady1 told me of the balm of ,gilead1 and of the great ,physician there1 who healed and comforted me1 giving me renovated health and a deathless life4' ,farewell1 holy man of ,god2 we shall see thy face no more1 till we see thee the express image of thy ,lord's person4 ,it is an event of importance in relation-- ,,iii4 ,to general society4 ,no man1 saith the apostle1 liveth to himself4 ,while we are individually pursuing our separate interests1 we are advancing the general good1 and not unfrequently serve others1 while intent only on serving ourselves4 ,if this be true of men in general1 it is more emphatically true in relation to the ministers of the gospel4 ,while they are discharging the functions of their office in relation to the people of their charge1 they are diffusing principles abroad in society which will be found to operate more widely than is generally imagined4 ,when they die1 the influence of their example1 of their character1 of their precepts1 of their individual exertions to promote private happiness1 and to support public institutions--and of their prayers--is a loss which is felt not only in the immediate circle in which they moved1 but to a much larger extent2 though it may not be felt so instantaneously nor so deeply4 ,but1 my brethren1 it is not in my power to calculate the loss which you have sustained by the decease of the venerated man whose corpse is now before us2 and who1 for more than forty years1 has preached the gospel of peace in this pulpit4 ,when he first entered on the duties of his office1 he found a barren wilderness2 but he has left a fruitful field4 ,the church1 which was mouldering to ruins1 he repaired and enlarged2 the congregation1 which was scattered1 he has gathered together2 and many who have preceded him through the dark valley1 and many whom he has left to follow him1 he has been the means of saving from the impending wrath of the ,almighty4 ,it is now many years since the person who is now addressing you went1 under the most unfavourable impressions1 to hear him preach2 but the word that fell from his lips came with power1 and ,i1 who went to scoff1 returned to pray4 ,from that hour ,i revered him as my spiritual father in ,christ2 and an intimacy soon after commenced1 which continued unbroken and undisturbed till death4 ,if ,i were now to give full scope to my feelings1 ,i should probably be censured by some for pronouncing an extravagant eulogy on his character2 but ,i am conscious that while he owed all his excellence to the renewing and purifying influence of ,divine grace1 he uniformly displayed1 both in public and in private life1 a degree of excellence which has been rarely surpassed1 if equalled1 in modern times4 ,as a preacher1 he excelled no less in the descriptive than in the argumentative style of his address--combining in all his discourses strength of reasoning with the most happy modes of illustration--equally capable of awing his congregation by the solemnity of his manner1 and subduing them by the tenderness of his appeals2 compelling them by the ardour of his feelings1 and energy of his utterance1 to lose sight of the messenger who was speaking1 in a devout contemplation of the message which he delivered2 and giving to things unseen such a power of impression1 that those which are visible seemed to dwindle into a state of absolute insignificancy4 ,as a man1 he was courteous in manners1 and amiable in disposition2 as a friend1 he was disinterested and faithful in his attachments2 as a ,christian1 he was devout and catholic in his spirit2 as a minister1 he was independent1 yet attentive and affectionate--uniformly endeavouring to incorporate in his character the moral qualities which his ,lord and ,master developed in the progress of his history2 and though a nice observer might discover a few shades of imperfection falling on it1 yet they were scarcely perceptible4 ,he approached the nearest to the perfect man of the ,scriptures of any one ,i ever knew2 but that which gave a distinctive peculiarity to his character1 and which made him the object of general esteem and veneration1 was his catholic liberality1 his ever-active benevolence1 and his amiability--combined with a chastened seriousness and sportive playfulness of disposition1 which exhibited the gravity of religion untinged by the gloom of superstition1 and its cheerfulness free from the levity of folly4 ,he thought and judged for himself on every part of revealed truth1 and maintained the doctrines which he held with the most determined firmness2 yet he never suffered his mind to be soured by the spirit of controversy1 nor was he ever known to treat those who differed from him with contempt or with indifference4 ,he loved the catholic spirit of the gospel1 no less than its sublime doctrines2 uniformly condemned that arrogance of spirit which leads the bigot to say of the members of his own communion1 ',the temple of the ,lord6 the temple of the ,lord are we6' and demonstrated by his conduct that he was as anxious to preserve the bonds of peace unbroken amongst the different denominations of ,christians as to keep the unity of the faith entire4 ,and while he gave a decided preference to the ,church of which he was so bright an ornament1 yet he felt a deep interest in the prosperity of every other religious community which contends earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints2 and admitted to his friendship and intimacy the pious ,dissenter1 with as much cordiality as he embraced an ,episcopal brother4 ,but his catholic liberality did not degenerate into latitudinarianism4 ,he was willing to cultivate ,christian fellowship with all who love our ,lord ,jesus ,christ in sincerity1 and was anxious to narrow rather than widen the ground of difference between them2 but he felt no inclination to compromise any essential doctrines of the gospel as a compliment to the semi-sceptical spirit of the age--choosing rather to run the risk of incurring the charge of bigotry1 than sanction a popular opinion that there is no danger in speculative error1 if the person who imbibes it be sincere in his belief1 and display an exterior amiability of temper and conduct1 in accordance with the laws of practical righteousness4 ,his charity was not of that deceptive cast1 which places a human being who rejects the leading doctrines of ,christianity on a level1 in the ,divine estimation1 with the humble disciple of ,jesus ,christ who implicitly receives them1 as he was convinced 'that the charity which the ,scriptures so earnestly inculcate1 consists in a real solicitude for the welfare of others1 not in thinking well of their state2' and thus1 while he gave ample scope for the exercise of his compassion in aiming to promote the salvation of all his hearers1 he felt awed by that authority which separates the believer from the unbeliever1 and which marks1 by a palpable line of distinction1 the essential difference between those who admit1 and those who deny the truth as it is in ,jesus4 ,some men are benevolent1 but the principle of their benevolence lies embedded in their mental constitution1 like fire in the flint1 and it is only by hard and reiterated strokes that it can be elicited4 ,this principle1 when exerted1 may produce all the effects of a spontaneous flow of feeling2 but it looks so much like that sullen selfishness which is absorbed in its own gratifications1 that its occasional exertions are regarded only as a novel tribute to its own capricious taste4 ,others are benevolent1 but the principle of their benevolence is associated with so much finesse and self-adulation1 and with so many disgusting and offensive requirements1 that while it relieves the wants of a sufferer1 it inflicts a deep wound on his spirit1 and makes him feel such an oppressive weight of obligation1 that he cannot enjoy the comforts which have been administered to him4 ,but the benevolence of our deceased friend was the master-passion of his soul1 and it was ever wakeful--ever active2 which required no qualifications for its exercise1 but misery in some of her multiplied forms2 it prescribed no bounds for its exertions1 but the limits of his own means2 and he bestowed his bounties with so much delicacy1 that no other emotion was ever excited in the breast of the recipient than that of the purest gratitude to his kind benefactor4 ,his kindness of disposition led him to feel great tenderness for the reputation of others2 and though no one could reprove vice more keenly1 yet he never sanctioned that habit of depreciating the character of absent individuals1 which may be regarded as one of the most besetting sins of human nature4 ,hence1 few men possessed more friends1 or fewer enemies2 it may be doubted whether among the numerous list of the former he lost the esteem of one4 ,perhaps no man ever united more closely in his private character the dignity and the cheerfulness of religion--preserving unimpaired the sanctity of his station with a lively and playful disposition2 and maintaining the reputation of a holy man of ,god1 while hailed in general society as the amiable1 the intelligent1 and the interesting companion4 ,the line which separates the harmless from the pernicious he was never known to pass1 so that he never injured the sanctity of his public character by any levities in his demeanour1 but inspired a greater reverence for it1 by the dignified ease of his manners1 and the uniform placidity and agreeableness of his temper4 ,the closing scene of his life was no less beautiful than impressive2 and forces from us the exclamation of the worthless prophet1 ',let me die the death of the righteous6 and let my last end be like his6' ,he is gone6 ,that face on which you have looked with so much pleasure1 you will see no more2 that voice to which you have so often listened with mingled emotions of awe and pleasure1 you will hear no more1 till you meet him before the judgment-seat of the ,son of ,god2 and1 brethren1 permit me to ask you1 whether you think you are prepared to see him1 and hear him there8 ,he has preached to you the gospel of peace1 with great fidelity1 and with equal affection2 but have you received it1 not as the word of men1 but1 as it is in truth1 the word of ,god8 ,he has watched for your souls as one who knew that he must give an account2 but have you1 by your submission to the truth which he proclaimed1 enabled him to do it with joy and not with grief8 ,is there no one in this congregation who has remained insensible to his moral danger1 though that danger has often been pointed out to you in the most awful and impressive manner8 ,is there no one who has remained impenitent1 notwithstanding the various efforts which the venerated deceased employed to bring you to repentance1 and to a belief of the truth8 ,is there no one who has forced the aged pastor to retire from this pulpit to his study1 and there to weep and to mourn1 and to say1 in the bitterness of his mental agony1 ',when ,i speak they will not hear3 but put from them the words of life1 and the way of peace they will not know8' ,he is gone to enjoy the reward of his labours1 and ere long you1 my brethren1 will follow him4 ,but are you prepared to give an account of the manner in which you have improved his faithful services amongst you8 ,if you are1 you will again meet and again intermingle your social feelings and affections in a world where you will enjoy an endless duration of bliss2 but if not1 let me beseech you to retire1 and on your knees implore mercy and forgiveness1 lest you should be taken off in the midst of your sins1 and be cast out with the workers of darkness1 where there will be weeping1 and wailing1 and gnashing of teeth for ever4 ,when this discourse was finished1 the corpse was removed to the vault2 and when placed in it1 the remaining part of the ,burial ,service was read4 ,when the earth fell on the lid of the coffin1 as the impressive words1 ashes to ashes1 dust to dust1 were uttered1 there was a spontaneous burst of audible weeping from the whole assemblage1 which1 for a few moments1 so overpowered the feelings of ,mr4 ,guion1 that it was with some degree of difficulty he could proceed4 ,at length the service was concluded2 but on returning from the church the order of the procession was deranged1 for while some few walked back to the rectory1 others pressed round the tomb2 and many stood about the churchyard in detached groups1 recalling the various incidents in their history connected with their deceased pastor4 ,o6 said one athletic youth1 who wept while he spoke1 ,i was a bold transgressor till ,i heard him preach4 ,i went to laugh1 said another1 but ,i returned to pray4 ,he was my friend1 said many voices2 and all expressed their opinion that they should never see a successor equal to him4 ,after the concourse of people had dispersed1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lewellin continued wandering amongst the tombs1 reading the epitaphs which surviving friendship had engraven on the head-stones of their departed relatives and friends4 ,the place of sepulture in which they were now walking1 was one of the neatest of rural burying places4 ,the walks were free from weeds2 there were no gaps in the hedges2 the graves bore no marks of being trodden by the foot of beast or of man2 the yew trees luxuriated in their native growth1 without assuming those fantastic shapes and forms which a capricious taste sometimes compels them to take1 and the green ivy overspread the walls of the venerable church4 ,many of the inscriptions on the earlier tombstones were nearly effaced1 and those which were still legible1 like too many of the good old times1 recorded sentiments and expressions which are no less offensive to a refined taste1 than to a scriptural faith4 ,but in the later stones1 which had been erected during the lifetime of the venerable pastor1 a striking difference was observable4 ,the inscription bore the name and the age of the occupant of the tomb1 and beneath it some appropriate text of ,scripture--recalling the words of an elegant writer1 ,it is meet1 pleasant1 and soothing to the pious mind1 when bereaved of friends1 to commemorate them on earth by some touching expression taken from that book which reveals to them a life in heaven4 ,mr4 ,lewellin and his wife now entered the church1 resolving to go and indulge their solemn meditations beside the uncovered tomb of the deceased pastor2 but on passing down the aisle1 were suddenly startled by the deep sounds of sorrow4 ,on looking towards the vault where ,mr4 ,ingleby's remains were deposited1 they saw an aged couple leaning on their staffs1 looking into the grave1 but they appeared too much oppressed by grief to give any other vent to their feelings than by sighs and tears4 ,come1 ,dame1 let us be gone1 said the old man to his wife2 it won't be long before we see him again4 ,as they turned round from the grave1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lewellin advanced and kindly endeavoured to mitigate their sorrow4 ,o6 ,sir1 said the old man1 he was a good man1 and a faithful minister of ,christ2 and many will have to bless ,god for ever1 for sending him amongst us4 ,we thought we loved him while he was with us2 but we did not know that we loved him so much till he was taken away4 ,but it won't be long before we shall see him again4 ,then1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 ,i presume you have received the gospel which he preached amongst you1 not as 'the word of man1 but1 as it is in truth1 the word of ,god4' ,yes1 ,sir1 we have been enabled to receive it4 ,before he came to preach in this village we very seldom attended church1 and never thought about the salvation of our souls2 but1 blessed be the name of the ,lord1 we were both called to the knowledge of the truth through the instrumentality of his honoured servant2 and have1 for the space of near forty years1 been walking together as heirs of the grace of life4 ,it was a great shock to our feelings when we heard of his death1 though we expected it2 but now he is gone1 it is our duty to be resigned to the will of ,god4 ,but1 ,sir1 resignation may feel its loss2 and the ,saviour won't condemn us if we weep at the grave of our departed pastor1 as ,he once wept at the grave of ,lazarus4 ,he was one of the most excellent of the earth4 ,he preached well1 and he confirmed the truth which he preached by the unblameableness of his life4 ,he was a most benevolent man4 ,he obeyed the words of the ,scriptures1 and did good to all1 especially to the household of faith4 ,we shall never see his like again4 ,my friend and his wife felt so deeply interested by the affection and piety of this aged couple1 that they walked with them to their little thatched cottage4 ,this little cottage1 said the old man1 was built for us by our pastor1 who gave it to us for our life4 ,this is the chair in which he used to sit1 and this is the ,bible which he gave us1 and here is his picture1 which we have had for these thirty years--and this is his walking-stick1 that he gave me when ,i took my leave of him at the door of the rectory1 the ,sabbath before he left us4 ,and when1 said the old woman1 ,i could not see to read my ,bible1 he gave me these spectacles2 and he used to come1 and sit with us1 and talk to us of ,him who lived and died for sinners1 and made us forget the trials of the way1 by discoursing to us about the joys of the end of it4 ,but it won't be long before we see him again4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lewellin were much affected by this touching account of their old friend1 whose charity and benevolence formed a theme of grateful remembrance in the minds of those poor cottagers4 ,perceiving that their circumstances were much straitened1 they presented them with a trifling sum1 and then1 amid the blessings of the aged couple1 took leave and proceeded on their way to ,rockhill4 ,,the ,,new ,,rectors4 ,soon after the death of the venerable ,ingleby1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole1 the ,rector of the adjoining parish of ,aston1 whose health had been gradually declining1 was taken very ill4 ,he had accompanied several of his friends to a concert in a neighbouring town1 and on his return caught a violent cold4 ,no danger was apprehended for several weeks2 but having imprudently accepted an invitation to spend an evening at a friend's1 where he was detained to a late hour at whist1 his favourite amusement1 his indisposition gained a fresh accession of strength by exposure to the night air4 ,he now began to entertain apprehensions of a fatal termination to his complaint1 and said to his wife1 when she was consulting him on the propriety of putting off a party which had been fixed for the following week1 ,my dear1 ,i shall never appear amongst you again4 ,don't say so1 ,edward4 ,you are getting low-spirited and unnecessarily anxious4 ,you should keep up your spirits1 and anticipate the pleasure which you will yet enjoy amongst your friends4 ,i have no wish to die1 ,emily1 but ,i must die4 ,the doctors can do nothing for me4 ,i should like to see my old friends again1 but ,i have no spirit to entertain them4 ,i heard ,dr4 ,bailey say1 that he placed great dependence on the prescription which he gave to ,mr4 ,russel4 ,indeed1 ,i think you look better4 ,he says he has no doubt but you will recover2 and all your friends say that you must banish the thought of dying1 as nothing will tend so much to accelerate that awful event4 ,i think they had better come3 they will put new life into you4 ,yes1 they may tell me to banish the thought of dying1 but ,i cannot do it2 it forces itself upon me in spite of all my resolutions to avoid it4 ,dr4 ,bailey suggested to me to read some amusing book to you4 ,here are the ,pickwick ,papers4 ,let me read you a chapter about ,pickwick and ,sam ,weller4 ,i know how they used to make you laugh2 and a hearty laugh1 to my mind1 does more good than all the medicine in the world4 ,neither ,mr4 ,pickwick nor ,sam ,weller1 my dear1 would be proper companions for me just now4 ,i must pay respect to the sanctity of my character4 ,i should not object1 if ,i get a little better1 to your reading me the ,vicar of ,wakefield1 or a paper from the ,spectator or ,rambler4 ,but ,i fear my disease has gone too far to be checked by any human expedient4 ,i must yield to the law of nature1 and prepare for death2 and it is1 ,i assure you1 an awful thing to die--to go from one world to another4 ,well1 my dear1 replied his wife1 as you have long since made your peace with ,god1 you have nothing to fear2 and therefore ,i hope you will keep your mind composed4 ,my mind is tolerably composed1 ,emily1 except when delirious thoughts come and throw it into a tumultuous agitation1 and then ,i feel wandering about in a maze of confusion4 ,death may be looked upon by some1 who have no taste for earthly enjoyments1 with peculiar interest1 as the forerunner of their future bliss2 but ,i would rather live than die4 ,when ,mr4 ,cole found himself getting worse1 and his most sanguine friends began to fear that the hour of his departure was at hand1 he wished to receive the sacrament2 and the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,greig1 from a neighbouring town1 was requested to come and administer it to him4 ,the ,doctor seemed much affected when introduced to his old friend2 and1 after gently squeezing his hand1 as a token of affection1 he sat down by his bedside4 ,i am sorry1 ,sir1 said the reverend ,doctor1 to find you so extremely ill2 but ,i hope you will yet recover4 ,that1 ,i fear1 is impossible2 ,i must die2 and ,i wish1 before ,i die1 to receive the holy sacrament4 ,i think it will put strength into my soul1 and enable me to meet death without dread4 ,i hope you have no dread of death4 ,why1 no1 ,doctor1 ,i have no dread of death2 but as it is the passage into the eternal world1 ,i feel that it is an awful thing to die--more awful at the crisis than in anticipation4 ,it may be awful to the wicked1 but it cannot be to you1 who have spent your life in the public service of our ,church1 promoting the cause of virtue and religion4 ,i confess1 ,sir1 that ,i have nothing to reproach myself with4 ,i have spent a long life in the service of our ,church1 and have endeavoured to teach my parishioners the way to heaven2 and as a recompense for my well-meant efforts ,i hope eternal life will be given to me2 but now that death is near1 ,i feel it to be a more awful thing to die than when ,i viewed it at a distance4 ,i now see the propriety of the passage in our ,burial ,service--',o ,god1 most mighty1 ,o holy and merciful ,saviour1 thou most worthy ,judge1 eternal1 suffer us not at our last hour1 for any pains of death1 to fall from thee4' ,dr4 ,greig now proceeded to read the ,communion ,service2 and having partaken of the elements himself1 and given them to ,mrs4 ,cole and the nurse1 he presented them to his dying friend1 who ate the bread1 and drank the wine1 with great solemnity of manner4 ,the service being ended1 he said that he had one more request to make1 and then he should die in peace4 ,i wish1 ,doctor1 you would read the ,burial ,service at my interment1 and preach my funeral sermon on the following ,sunday2 and you may tell my parishioners1 that ,i die in charity with all mankind4 ,in about six hours after his friend left him1 a change took place1 and he remained insensible the greater part of the night4 ,towards the morning he awoke out of a deep sleep2 and1 having taken a little refreshment1 he sat very composedly for a few minutes4 ,looking at his wife with intense earnestness1 he said1 ,my dear ,emily1 ,i suppose ,i must die2 and then he fell back on his pillow1 heaved a deep sigh1 and expired4 ,on the seventh day after his death he was buried in a vault1 near the communion table of his own church2 and ,dr4 ,greig1 according to his request1 read the service1 and delivered his funeral discourse on the following ,sabbath4 ,the congregation1 which was unusually large1 appeared deeply affected1 especially when the ,doctor pointed to the tomb in which their deceased pastor had just been interred4 ,in delineating the character or ,mr4 ,cole1 ,dr4 ,greig dwelt for some time on his classical taste and his literary acquirements2 paid a just tribute of praise to his amiable disposition and obliging manners1 and commended him for his uniform attachment to the ,church1 of which he had been a minister for the greater part of half a century2 and concluded by saying1 ,his religion was not of that austere cast which prohibits the innocent amusements and gratifications of society1 and dooms its possessor to a life of perpetual gloom and mortification4 ,it was an enlightened piety--a piety which united the gravity of wisdom with a cheerful and facetious spirit1 which courted no popularity by the vanity of its pretensions2 which sought retirement rather than publicity2 and conciliated the favour of the ,almighty by the practice of virtue1 rather than by the dogmas of belief4 ,his life is an epitome of moral virtue and social goodness1 which may be read by all men with great profit4 ,it will teach us all1 and especially the clergy of our ,church1 how they should live1 and what recompense they may expect to receive when called to die1 as a reward for their fidelity to their charge4 ,he did not1 as we all know1 in imitation of the example of some1 rob other churches to fill his own2 but was contented to preach to the select few who favoured him with their presence and their friendship2 and who1 ,i doubt not1 will revere his memory as long as the power of recollection remains2 and who1 when the duties of life are discharged1 will go where he is gone1 to renew the intimacy of friendship1 and enjoy the felicity of social converse4 ,and who is not struck with the dignified serenity of his death6 ,there were no raptures of enthusiasm in prospect of dissolution2 no flights of fancy2 no rhapsodies of expression1 as though he were weary of life and longed to lose it2 but a submission to the law of nature1 which requires that we must die1 accompanied by a sublime avowal which he wished me to make to you1 that he died in charity with all mankind4 ,in examining the character of these two clergymen1 and reviewing the temper of mind which they displayed in the immediate prospect of entering the eternal world1 the intelligent reader will perceive a manifest difference2 and though it does not become us to invade the province of the ,supreme ,judge1 and fix the final destiny of any human being1 yet we may be permitted to say1 that the venerable ,ingleby bore the nearest resemblance1 in his life and in his death1 to the ministers of the ,new ,testament4 ,if ,mr4 ,cole was the most learned man1 ,mr4 ,ingleby was the most spiritual2 and though ,mr4 ,ingleby derived no gratification from the trifling amusements of fashionable life1 yet he uniformly displayed a cheerfulness of disposition which became the sanctity of his office4 ,mr4 ,cole consented to die because he could not live2 while ,mr4 ,ingleby yielded up his life as a free-will offering to ,god who first gave it1 and then demanded it4 ,in the death of ,mr4 ,cole we can discover no humility on account of the imperfections of his character--no utterances of a mind delighting in communion with the great ,supreme--no reference to a ,mediator1 by whom the guilty and the worthless are reconciled to the offended ,sovereign--no ardent anticipations of a state of changeless purity and glory2 while1 in the closing scene of ,mr4 ,ingleby's life1 we behold a spirit1 yet inhabiting the tabernacle of earth1 springing forward to meet the great ,deliverer--hailing his approach with mingled emotions of awe and delight--giving utterance to the sublimest conceptions of future bliss1 and in language1 such as ,paul employed when treading on the narrow isthmus which separates time from eternity4 ,the death of ,mr4 ,cole was certainly the most calm2 but it was the calm of a stagnant pool1 whose waters move not because they are unaffected by any current2 while the death of ,mr4 ,ingleby resembled the peaceful ripple of the crystal stream1 as it moves tranquilly from its source to swell the waters of the vast ocean4 ,the one died like a philosopher1 over whose mind the light of evidence produced a belief of the existence of an eternal world1 which1 alas6 presented no powerful attractions2 the other1 like a sinner1 redeemed by the precious blood of ,christ1 and made meet to possess the inheritance of the saints in light1 in comparison with which the brightest honours of earth pass away as things of no value4 ,when the pastor of a ,dissenting church is called away from his flock1 to give an account of his stewardship to the great ,shepherd and ,bishop of souls1 an event occurs in its history which generally produces a most powerful effect on the minds of the surviving members4 ,as he1 while living1 was the pastor of their choice1 so1 when dead1 they cease not to venerate and esteem his memory4 ,they pay him1 it is true1 no superstitious homage4 ,all they show is the feeling of pure nature1 which requires no artificial expedients to express its affection for the object of its esteem when he is taken away4 ,but amongst them1 while the pastor dies1 the ministry lives4 ,they turn away from his tomb to listen to the voice of his successor2 and though they cannot easily transfer that strong attachment and profound respect which have been the growth of a long and close intimacy1 yet they receive him in the ,lord with all gladness1 and hold such in reputation4 ,in the choice of a successor they have great advantages over their ,christian brethren who are members of the ,establishment4 ,they are not compelled to receive a pastor1 but are left to choose one2 and hence1 as is natural1 they select one whose religious opinions agree with their own1 whose manner of preaching accords with their own taste1 and whose character is such as corresponds with the sacredness of his profession4 ,and though a popular election is liable to some objections1 yet1 from the mode in which it is generally conducted amongst them1 they are but as the small dust of the balance1 when weighed against the sterling value of the privilege which it involves and secures4 ,the argument employed by ,dissenters in support of this practice is1 in their judgment1 quite conclusive4 ,they say1 ,as we claim the right of choosing the attorney whom we consult on a point of law--of choosing our surgeon and physician when visited by sickness--of choosing the tutor under whose care we place our children1 we act still more in accordance with the established laws of social life1 and the most obvious dictates of enlightened reason1 when we exercise the right of choice in relation to the pastor from whose public ministrations we are to receive the consolations of the gospel of peace4 ,in this instance1 no less than in others1 a preference will be felt2 and while we hold all in reputation for their works' sake1 who discharge the sacred duties of the pastoral office with fidelity1 we shall derive a greater gratification1 and higher degree of improvement1 from the labours of one for whose manner of preaching we may feel a decided predilection and regard4 ,when this right of choice is denied us1 we are compelled to receive a minister who has been appointed over us by the authority of another1 and if he be just such a one as we like1 no evil is produced2 but suppose he reject the doctrines which we receive as true1 or suppose his style of preaching be in direct opposition to our taste1 or suppose his moral conduct be not in exact accordance with his profession1 what in such a case ought to be our line of conduct8 ,can we expect to become established in our faith1 by going where that faith is perpetually assailed8 ,can we expect to derive consolation1 if we go where the manner in which the message is offered offends our taste8 ,can we expect to venerate the ministry1 if the man who holds the hallowed office display not the same mind which was in ,christ ,jesus our ,lord8 ,impossible6 ,we may make the experiment1 but it will not be found productive of the fruits of righteousness and peace2 as the laws of nature forbid us to calculate on gathering grapes of thorns1 or figs of thistles4 ,within a few weeks after the death of ,mr4 ,ingleby1 the living of ,broadhurst was presented to ,mr4 ,porteous1 the grandson of a neighbouring magistrate of the same name1#da who took offence at the first sermon ,mr4 ,ingleby preached2 and though he felt a profound respect for his private virtues1 yet he withdrew from his ministry1 and usually attended that of ,mr4 ,cole4 ,this young man possessed a fine person1 and the graces of a popular and commanding elocution2 but he was gay in his manners1 volatile in his disposition1 addicted to the sports of the field1 and decidedly opposed to those peculiar doctrines of the gospel which his predecessor had so long and so faithfully preached4 #da ,vol4 i4 p4 #fi4 ,as his character was generally known through the parish1 the pious members of the ,church were deeply depressed when they heard that he was appointed to succeed their deceased pastor2 but they prudently resolved to hear him preach1 having previously met on several different occasions to pray that a double portion of the ,spirit of grace might rest upon him4 ,the church was excessively crowded when he delivered his first discourse1 which was founded on the following text--,be not righteous over much4 ,he read the prayers with so much seriousness and propriety of emphasis1 that the whole congregation was delighted with him4 ,when he announced his text1 there was a simultaneous movement amongst them2 and for a few moments they looked at each other as though deeply amazed1 and then the eyes of all were fastened on him4 ,after adjusting his position and his attitude with great caution1 and surveying his audience with an appearance of complacency1 he began reading his sermon1 which he delivered in fourteen minutes1 and then concluded the service4 ,the sermon was a severe philippic on the labours of his predecessor1 and the piety of his hearers2 and though in the conclusion he paid a passing tribute of respect to his private virtues1 and the benefits which the parish had received from his pastoral visits1 yet he gave it as his decided opinion that he had uniformly disregarded the important injunction of the text3--,that he erred from the purest motives we all must admit2 and it must be some consolation to know1 that his error was all on the side of virtue2 but virtue is never so lovely as when she is kept from all excess of feeling--as when she spurns from her those restraints1 which1 by keeping her out of the circle of innocent indulgences1 give her the appearance of grief-worn sadness--as when she enjoys life1 and is contented to wait for the reward which the ,almighty will confer on her honest and well-meant endeavours to please him4 ,that it will be my endeavour to avoid the error into which my most excellent predecessor fell1 my intelligent hearers may calculate on2 and ,i flatter myself by so doing1 ,i shall diffuse over the whole of my parish1 the air of cheerful gaiety and social pleasure2 and that the gloom which has so long hung over you will soon disappear1 as the lowering cloud retires from the face of nature1 when the bright orb of day scatters his golden rays in passing from the horizon to the meridian4 ,when he had finished his discourse1 he paused for the loud ,amen2 but the good old clerk disdained to utter it2 and when1 on retiring to the vestry1 he was asked by ,mr4 ,porteous1 the grandsire of the new ,rector1 why he had neglected his duty1 he honestly replied1 ,because1 ,sir1 ,i did not choose to sanction those perversions of the gospel which the ,rector has been guilty of this morning2 nor appear to commend the severe and unjust animadversions which he has made on the character of my deceased pastor4 ,then1 ,sir1 you shall be turned out of office4 ,i will not wait to be turned out1 ,sir1 ,i will resign it2 for ,i have too much love for the truth to sanction error1 and hold the reputation of my deceased pastor in too much esteem to say ,amen1 after it has been so wantonly defamed4 ,then1 ,sir1 ,i suppose you intend to raise the standard of revolt against my grandson2 but if that be your mind1 you shall suffer for it4 ,as ,i live1 ,sir1 in a land of freedom1 and was never in bondage to any man1 ,i shall not1 now ,i am grown gray in years1 sell my birth-right for a mess of pottage2 and therefore1 without wishing to give either you or the new ,rector any offence1 ,i frankly tell you1 that while he continues to preach as he has preached this morning1 ,i will never return to hear him4 ,you are an obstinate fellow1 and ought not to be suffered to speak to your superiors in this style4 ,you asked for the reasons of my conduct1 which ,i have given you2 and also for the line of conduct ,i intend to pursue1 and ,i have told you2 and now1 as you descend to abuse1 ,i will retire4 ,this altercation with the old clerk1 who was greatly esteemed by the congregation for his superior intelligence and decided piety1 was overheard by many of the people1 who were much pleased2 first1 by his silence at the conclusion of the service1 and now1 by the bold stand which he made against the perversion of the truth1 and the unmerited attack on the reputation of the venerable deceased4 ,on coming out of the vestry1 he was commended by them1 and urged not to suffer any threat to induce him to bend to the authority1 which had so unhandsomely endeavoured to intimidate him4 ,as ,mr4 ,lewellin had acquired a considerable degree of influence among the pious members of the ,church1 during the short time he had resided in the parish1 they very naturally looked to him for counsel at this critical juncture2 and though he was unwilling to take any premature steps1 yet he gave it as his decided opinion1 that they ought not to suffer the gospel to be driven from amongst them4 ,i am a ,dissenter1 said he to a few friends who waited on him2 but while the gospel was preached in the ,church1 ,i felt perfectly willing to worship there1 and should have continued to do so1 if the new ,rector had followed the example of our deceased pastor1 but as he has chosen to make such a bold avowal of his determination to extirpate the serious and devout piety of the parish1 that he may propagate his gay and anti-,christian religion1 ,i think we are called upon by the voice of ,providence to prevent it4 ,i cannot leave the ,church1 said one4 ,nor ,i1 said another4 ,nor ,i1 said a third4 ,i should not like to leave it1 said another1 but if ,i cannot hear the gospel in the ,church1 ,i will hear it where ,i can4 ,it was finally determined to let things take their course for the next few weeks1 during which time they were to consult their friends on the question4 ,on the ,sabbath after ,mr4 ,porteous preached his first sermon at ,broadhurst1 ,mr4 ,hartley1 ,mr4 ,cole's successor1 took possession of his living at ,aston1 and preached his first discourse from ,ezek4 xxxvii4 #c--;,and he said unto me1 ,son of man1 can these bones live8 ,and ,i answered1 ,o ,lord ,god1 thou knowest4 ,from these words1 taken in connection with the entire parable1 he gave a description of the moral condition of man1 during the period of his unregeneracy2 demonstrated the inefficacy of all human expedients to recover him1 without the co-operation of a supernatural power2 and traced the progress of his spiritual renovation by the renewing power of the ,holy ,spirit1 from its earliest symptoms to its final consummation in heaven4 ,the sermon discovered some ingenuity1 but more judgment2 it abounded with striking remarks1 expressed in the most appropriate language2 but its predominating quality was a regular appeal to the understanding and the heart of the audience1 conducted with such force of reasoning1 and charm of persuasion1 that many expressed their astonishment at their former ignorance of revealed truth2 while those who had long enjoyed the ministry of the venerable ,ingleby1 rejoiced that ,god had sent another faithful messenger amongst them4 ,some few1 who were the late incumbent's personal friends1 and who often participated with him in the amusements of fashionable life1 were displeased with the length of the sermon1 though they were gratified with the chasteness of the language which was employed2 and reprobated the austere requirements of the new religion1 while they spoke in very complimentary terms of the elegant composition and the good delivery of the new ,rector4 ,the great majority of the people1 however1 were astonished and delighted2 and from the conclusion of the sermon were led to anticipate in ,mr4 ,hartley a very different pastor from ,mr4 ,cole4 ,hitherto1 many of you have lived1 said the preacher1 without any deep repentance on account of your sins--without any active and operative faith in the efficacy of the ,saviour's death--without enjoying any spiritual communion with the great ,invisible--and without anticipating your entrance into the eternal world with that sublime awe which such an event ought to inspire in your breast4 ,it devolves on me to rouse you from this state of deep insensibility and criminal impiety4 ,you live2 but what is that life which you have lived8 ,has it not been a life of social pleasure--a life of vain indulgences--a life of indifference to the interesting facts1 the sublime doctrines1 the pure precepts1 and the glorious promises of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ6 ,it now devolves on me to awaken you1 if possible1 out of this mental delusion1 that you may 'yield yourselves unto ,god as those that are alive from the dead2' then ye 'shall have your fruit unto holiness1 and the end everlasting life4' ,to accomplish this1 ,i shall add private admonition to public instruction2 and though ,i have no wish to pry into the secrets of your families1 nor to obtrude myself where my presence would not be acceptable1 yet it will be my endeavour1 as far as possible1 to gain an accurate knowledge of the spiritual state of the whole of my charge1 in the hope that by ,god's blessing ,i may be able at the last day to present every one of you perfect in ,christ ,jesus4 ,when you are afflicted1 ,i will visit you2 when in trouble1 ,i will administer to you the consolations of the gospel2 in your dying hours1 ,i shall consider it a privilege to be permitted to cheer you with the hope of immortality2 and as ,i am placed over you as your spiritual guide and friend1 ,i assure you1 that there is no sacrifice which ,i will hesitate to make1 nor any duty which ,i will not most cheerfully perform1 to promote your happiness2 and ,i shall esteem the gratification of serving you an adequate recompense for all my exertions1 as ,i seek not yours1 but you4 ,a ,,secession ,,at ,,broadhurst4 ,when ,mr4 ,hartley took possession of his cure at ,aston1 ,mr4 ,stevens immediately declined having public worship conducted in his chapel any longer4 ,on being remonstrated with by ,mr4 ,langley1 a zealous ,dissenter1 for breaking up a society which had been flourishing for many years1 he said1 ,i dissented1 not from choice1 but from necessity2 but now ,i can hear the gospel in the parish church1 ,i think it no less my duty to return to her communion1 than ,i once felt it my duty to withdraw from it4 ,the minister who is appointed over us is a good man2 and as the church in which he officiates is large enough to contain the whole of the population1 ,i see no reason why the people should be divided1 especially as most of them have no conscientious objections against either the doctrines or the ceremonies of our ,episcopal ,establishment4 ,but1 ,sir1 replied ,mr4 ,langley1 though the gospel be now preached in the church1 you are not certain that it will be after the death or removal of the present incumbent2 and then what are the pious members of the church to do1 if you now shut up your chapel8 ,would it not be more prudent on your part1 to secure the permanent continuance of the gospel in the parish1 by perpetuating its public ministrations in your chapel1 than thus hazard its entire expulsion8 ,if you adopt this plan1 there will be a place of refuge for the piety of the parish1 if at any future time it should be compelled to retire from the ,established church4 ,such a plan1 ,i have no doubt1 replied ,mr4 ,stevens1 would meet with the approbation of many pious ,dissenters2 but ,i am not disposed to adopt it4 ,if1 under the ministry of our present ,rector1 the people should receive the truth1 not as the word of man1 but as the word of ,god1 they will not suffer it to disappear from amongst them1 even if they should be deprived of it in the church2 but will most certainly avail themselves of their rights as ,british freemen1 and erect for themselves a chapel1 in which they may worship ,god according to the dictates of their conscience1 and enjoy a ministry of their own choice4 ,but while the sun of prosperity was shining on the parish of ,aston1 dispelling the gloom of ignorance and superstition which had hovered over it for many years1 it was setting on the adjoining hamlet1 which had for a longer time enjoyed the light of truth1 leaving the people in a most disconsolate state4 ,to lose our old pastor1 said an old ,christian to ,mr4 ,lewellin1 was a great loss2 but to have the candlestick removed from amongst us1 and the light thereof extinguished1 is a much greater loss4 ,while we had the light we rejoiced in it2 but ,i fear that1 like the church of ,ephesus1 we have lost our first love2 and as we have not repented and done our first works1 the ,lord has visited us with this grievous judgment4 ,a few of the more influential members of the ,establishment met at ,mr4 ,lewellin's to consider what plan they ought to adopt on the present occasion4 ,as they venerated the ,church1 and felt an ardent attachment to its forms and ceremonies1 they were unwilling to withdraw from her communion4 ,one gentleman said1 he had been to consult the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 who gave it as his decided opinion that they should still attend their parish church1 and pray for the conversion of the new ,rector4 ,if1 he said1 you have not the gospel in the pulpit1 you have it in the desk2 and though it may not please ,god to answer your prayers1 yet you will have this compensation for the sacrifice you will be called upon to make--that you have remained faithful to your ,church4 ,i have no wish to leave the ,church1 replied another2 but ,i must hear the gospel4 ,i am commanded to take heed what ,i hear2 and if ,i disobey this injunction1 how can ,i expect to enjoy the ,divine blessing8 ,in this opinion they all concurred2 and as they could attend the neighbouring church1 it was proposed that they should sit under the ministry of the new ,rector at ,aston4 ,but1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 though we who have vehicles can easily go three or four miles on the ,sabbath-day1 to enjoy a pure and an enlightened ministry1 yet what are the poor and the infirm to do8 ,they cannot attend2 and shall we leave them to spend the remainder of their days in a state of spiritual destitution8 ,have they no claim on our benevolent feelings8 ,shall we1 by deserting them in this their low estate1 allow them to go and utter the mournful complaint at the footstool of the ,divine throne1 ',no man careth for our souls8' ,shall we provide no spiritual comforter1 but suffer them to live and die without having one near them to administer the consolations of religion8 ,shall we stand still and see this fine moral inheritance falling back into its original state of ignorance and vice2 when1 by acting that part which our deceased pastor more than once recommended1 we may be the means of preserving it from decay8 ,did he not say1 in the last sermon he preached to us1 that he hoped the ,lord would provide another minister1 who would preach the gospel to us either in the church1 or elsewhere8 ,and in a private conversation1 on the evening of his departure1 he said1 in reply to a question1 ',the great ,shepherd may pitch another fold1 and lead you to another pasturage4' ,if1 said a gentleman1 ,i were to consult my own inclination1 ,i should still attend with my family at ,broadhurst2 but ,i do not think we should act a generous or a ,christian part if we were to make no effort to establish a gospel ministry in the parish4 ,cannot we do what ,mr4 ,stevens did under similar circumstances8 and then1 if it should please ,god at any future time1 to favour us with a ,rector who will preach the same doctrines as those which we have been accustomed to hear1 we can return to the ,church1 and live and die in her communion4 ,and if not1 we shall have this compensation for the sacrifice which we shall be called to make1 that we have acted in accordance with the wishes of our deceased pastor1 and1 ,i trust1 in accordance with the will of our ,lord and ,master4 ,this suggestion was eagerly seized by several others2 and it was finally determined to build a neat chapel1 large enough to contain about #ejj worshippers2 and to obtain the permanent labours of some good minister of ,jesus ,christ4 ,as soon as this decision was made known1 the pious villagers expressed their gratitude in the most affecting terms2 and offered to contribute1 out of the depths of their poverty1 towards the necessary expenses which would be incurred2 but their more wealthy ,christian brethren rather chose to bear the whole burden among themselves4 ,one gentleman gave a piece of freehold land1 on which the chapel was erected2 and adjoining it1 a house for the minister1 with a large garden attached4 ,it was built within the space of six months2 and by the exertions of ,mr4 ,lewellin1 ,mr4 ,drew1 a pious and intelligent young man1 was appointed to take the pastoral charge of the people4 ,being of a catholic spirit1 and wishing to render his public ministrations generally acceptable1 he prudently consented to read the ,liturgy of the ,church of ,england4 ,though1 at first1 some of the people sighed1 and others wept as they passed by the venerable building in which for so many years they had worshipped the ,god of their fathers1 yet in process of time they felt an equal degree of attachment to this second temple1 which1 if less imposing in its appearance1 contained the ,shechinah of truth1 which departed from the altar when the venerable ,ingleby fell asleep in ,jesus4 ,some years after1 in a conversation with the intelligent clerk1 who held the same office in the chapel as he had filled in the church1 he informed me1 that his pastor bore a near resemblance to the deceased ,rector1 in the amiability of his temper1 and in the ardour of his zeal for the salvation of his hearers1 though he differed from him in the manner and style of his preaching4 ,the ,rector1 ,sir1 he remarked1 was a son of consolation1 from whose lips the words of mercy fell in soft and subduing accents on the ears of the congregation2 ,mr4 ,drew is a ,boanerges1 the thunder of whose eloquence awes us by its majesty2 but when he has wrought up our feelings to the highest degree of terror1 he suddenly shifts the scene1 and exhibits to our view the ,lamb of ,god1 who takes away the sins of the world4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 ,i think1 had the finest imagination1 but ,mr4 ,drew has the most powerful intellect2 and though the former could enter into all the variations of ,christian experience with the greatest ease1 yet the latter applies the truth with equal force to the wounded conscience4 ,mr4 ,ingleby was distinguished by the gracefulness of his manner2 ,mr4 ,drew excels in the force and dignity of his delivery2 and though we shall never cease to respect the memory of our former pastor1 we are equally attached to our present4 ,under his ministry1 no less than under that of his predecessor1 many have been reclaimed from the error of their ways to the wisdom of the just2 while the young and the more advanced ,christian have been built up in the faith and the hope of the gospel4 ,the poor are visited in their cottages2 the dying have a spiritual comforter with them in their last moments2 and over the whole parish a moral vigilance is exercised1 which receives the sanction of all the wise and the good4 ,after witnessing the changes which a few years had made in the external establishment of religion in these two parishes1 while the same moral process was going on in the salvation of the people1 ,i felt how superior1 in its nature and tendency1 is the spirit of the gospel to that of religious bigotry4 ,had ,mr4 ,stevens felt a bigoted attachment to the principle of dissent1 he would have kept open his chapel after the settlement of ,mr4 ,hartley at ,aston1 and thus have divided the people into two distinct societies2 while the congregation at ,broadhurst1 if they had venerated the church in which the venerable ,ingleby had so long preached1 more than the truth which he delivered1 would have been left without an evangelical ministry4 ,but by acting the part of wisdom and of piety1 they perpetuated the truth in each parish1 without occasioning any division amongst those who were attached to it4 ,though in one village they sat to hear its enunciations on unconsecrated ground1 while in the other it addressed them within the walls of the ,establishment2 yet as it derived none of its importance or worth from the places in which it is proclaimed1 nor from the ministers who preached it1 they mutually received it with meekness1 as the engrafted word which is able to save the soul4 ,nor can ,i doubt that the ,saviour visited with equal delight each congregation which assembled together in his name--that the ,divine ,spirit conveyed the same resistless energy to the ,dissenting as to the ,episcopal ministry--that the angels of heaven hovered over the village chapel with as much pleasure as over the village church2 and that those who were made meet for glory on unconsecrated ground1 were received with equal rapture by the spirits of the just made perfect1 as their brethren who had worshipped within the pale of the ,establishment4 ,they differed in their relation to the external forms of ,christianity1 but possessing its pure and heavenly spirit1 they stood in the same relation to ,jesus ,christ1 who was their ,saviour--to the ,holy ,ghost1 who was their ,comforter--and to heaven1 which was their undefiled inheritance2 and when1 at the appointed time1 any of them departed this life1 they were neither commended nor censured for their denominative attachments while on earth1 but admitted into the joy of their ,lord as sinners redeemed by his blood4 ,a friendly intercourse was kept up between the pious members of the two churches and their respective pastors1 which demonstrated to the villagers that their religion was substantially the same in its nature and in its design1 though it differed in a few external ceremonies4 ,if they went to church1 it was to worship ,god--to confess their sins--and to hear the glad tidings of salvation2 and if they went to the village chapel1 it was to engage in the same hallowed exercises1 and listen to the same gospel of peace4 ,as they felt no superstitious attachment to the places in which they assembled1 nor imagined that the ,episcopal form of ordination gave to the clergyman a degree of sanctity which the ,dissenting minister did not possess1 they intermingled in each other's society1 not to wrangle or contend for superiority1 but to cultivate the unity of their faith1 and display the excellence of that grace which teacheth us1 that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts1 we should live soberly1 righteously1 and godly in this present world4 ,is it not to be regretted1 that a similar spirit has not been uniformly cherished amongst the disciples of ,jesus ,christ8 but1 alas6 they have in general caught the spirit of the mother of ,zebedee's children1 rather than that of their ,master1 and have been struggling for the ascendency1 instead of living in harmony with each other4 ,and is it not to this cause1 more than any deficiency of evidence1 that we may fairly account for the too general rejection of the gospel2 for can we expect others to believe in its ,divine origin1 when they see those who embrace it with the greatest eagerness1 displaying an intolerant temper1 and refusing to hold communion with each other because they happen to differ on a few points of opinion1 which they all acknowledge to be of secondary importance8 ,every ,christian should examine the following prayer of ,jesus ,christ1 and the reason which he assigned for presenting it3--,neither pray ,i for these alone1 but for them also which shall believe on me through their word2 that they all may be one2 as thou1 ,father1 art in me1 and ,i in thee1 that they also may be one in us3 that the world may believe that thou hast sent me4 ,and the glory which thou gavest me ,i have given them2 that they may be one1 even as we are one3 ,i in them1 and thou in me1 that they may be made perfect in one2 and that the world may know that thou hast sent me1 and hast loved them1 as thou hast loved me 7,john xvii4 #bj-bc74 ,when the spirit of religious bigotry takes possession of the youthful breast1 we naturally feel disposed to attribute it to the immaturity of the judgment1 or a deficiency in ,christian principles4 ,we therefore conclude1 that in more advanced life these unamiable qualities will disappear1 and a cordial attachment will be formed for all of every denomination who love our ,lord ,jesus ,christ in sincerity and in truth4 ,this1 ,i believe1 is generally the case1 though we sometimes see the evil spirit of bigotry souring the temper of aged ,christians1 contracting their benevolence1 and rendering them more disposed to live apart from their brethren1 than on terms of friendly intercourse2 and if we venture to remonstrate with them1 we are gravely told that they must preserve the consistency of their character4 ,consistency6 ,and why not preserve the consistency of their character as ,christians1 who are required to love each other as brethren1 rather than the consistency of their character as religious bigots1 who neglect the weightier matters of the law1 to cultivate the mint and cummin of ecclesiastical alienation and intolerance8 ,why not1 when peculiar circumstances require it1 overlook the little points of difference that exist between them2 and unite as those who are endowed with the same spirit of faith--who are governed by the same authority1 and who are moving on to the same state of blessedness and glory8 ,there were a few ,dissenters who could not conscientiously worship within the walls of the ,establishment1 even though they revered the character of the new ,rector at ,aston1 and approved of his ministry4 ,not being able to support a society of their own denomination1 they subjected themselves to the inconvenience and expense of travelling several miles every ,sabbath to enjoy the privilege of communion with their brethren at ,broadhurst4 ,but though they could not unite with their fellow-,christians at ,aston in the exercises of public devotion1 they were1 nevertheless1 zealous in co-operating with them in the execution of those plans of benevolence which related to the moral improvement and the temporal advantage of the hamlet in which they resided4 ,a latitudinarian would be disposed to censure this unbending spirit in reference to public worship1 and feel himself justified in holding it up to general reprobation2 but a wise man will be sparing of his animadversions on conscientious scruples1 when they are not suffered to disturb the harmony of friendly intercourse1 and do not disqualify those who feel them from uniting with others of a different faith in the cultivation of the affections and charities of social life4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 who resided within a few miles of ,broadhurst1 and who had been for many years the devoted friend of the venerable ,ingleby1 was so much displeased when the pious members of the congregation seceded from the ministry of ,mr4 ,porteous1 that he broke off all intercourse with them1 and not unfrequently expressed his censures in rather strong language4 ,as they chose1 in opposition to his advice1 to withdraw from the pale of the ,establishment1 though he knew that their new ,rector preached another gospel than that which they had heard from the lips of their deceased pastor1 he looked upon them as schismatics1 with whom he could not associate1 even in the ordinary familiarities of friendship1 without endangering his reputation as a clergyman of the ,church of ,england4 ,though he admitted that some moral good might possibly result from the establishment of a ,dissenting ministry in the village1 yet he thought the evil would more than counter-balance it4 ,he was a good man1 but not a perfect man2 a zealous minister of the everlasting gospel1 but he wished that gospel to be preached only within the pale of the ,established church2 and though in private life he exhibited many traits of the ,christian character1 yet they were rather too strongly marked by the blemishes of a sectarian spirit4 ,he occasionally met ,mr4 ,drew1 the ,dissenting clergyman at ,broadhurst1 at the anniversaries of the various ,bible ,societies in the country1 and also at the houses of ,mr4 ,stevens and ,mr4 ,lewellin4 ,on these occasions he behaved to him with all the courtesy of a gentleman1 but for a long while he appeared more disposed to shun than to court his society4 ,he spoke of ,mr4 ,drew in terms of respect1 but not with the warmth of a brotherly affection as one minister of ,jesus ,christ should speak of another4 ,on one occasion1 having spoken rather more unguardedly than usual1 ,miss ,ryder1 who was one of his own hearers1 with a delicate severity of rebuke1 said1 ,i presume1 ,sir1 when an angel of the ,lord reports to his fellow-angels that a sinner on earth is brought to repentance1 they do not pause to inquire whether he is a ,churchman or a ,dissenter before their rejoicing begins4 ,and ,i suppose1 remarked ,mrs4 ,stevens1 when they receive their appointment to minister to any of the heirs of salvation1 they do not pause in their embassy1 contending which shall have the honour of waiting on a ,conformist1 in preference to a ,nonconformist4 ,this colloquy was here joined by ,mr4 ,ryder1 who was as catholic in his spirit1 as he was decided in his love of the truth4 ,to me1 he observed1 the ecclesiastical distinctions between church and dissent1 on which some rest such importance1 appear superlatively little and unimportant1 when put in comparison with the essential doctrines of the common salvation2 and the less attention we pay to them the better is it1 ,i think1 for our own peace and ,christian consistency4 ,i am a ,churchman in part1 because ,i was educated as one2 and because ,i can hear the gospel preached by her clergy4 ,if1 however1 ,i were living in a parish where the gospel is disowned1 as it is at ,broadhurst1 ,i am sure ,i should1 without a moment's hesitation1 turn a ,dissenter1 rather than not hear it4 ,and so should ,i1 said several voices4 ,it is satisfactory to be able to add1 that ,mr4 ,guion's prejudices gradually subsided1 and that in course of time he returned to the catholic and liberal spirit which he had formerly displayed when he contributed so generously to the necessities of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,powell4#db ,though1 in the views held by him regarding the great body of ,christians1 he never attained to the largeness of heart so eminently displayed by ,mr4 ,ingleby2 he bore1 nevertheless1 in his character a strong resemblance to that excellent pastor1 and appeared as his living representative in all that was lovely and of good report4 #db ,vol4 i4 p4 #bbd4 ,a ,,farewell ,,to ,,old ,,friends4 ,on quitting ,fairmount1 to return home1 the reader will recollect that ,i left ,mrs4 ,orme to remain for a short time longer at ,rockhill1 as ,mrs4 ,lewellin felt much depressed in spirits by her father's death1 and required the presence of a cheerful and affectionate friend to enable her gradually to dispel her grief1 and regain her wonted interest in her ordinary domestic employments4 ,mrs4 ,orme's stay was protracted much longer than she originally intended1 and the close of the year had nearly arrived before her kind friends would allow her to depart4 ,during the period of her sojourn at ,rockhill1 she had gained many friends1 who were attracted as much by the unsophisticated kindness and liveliness of her disposition as by her painfully interesting and romantic history4 ,among others1 none formed a greater intimacy than ,miss ,ryder1 who1 with her brother1 was now a frequent visitor at ,rockhill and ,fairmount4 ,mrs4 ,orme was invited to spend a few days at ,aston1 where she found herself exceedingly happy in the cheerful society of her new friend ,anna1 and the hearty hospitality of her brother1 who was led to take a deep interest in his guest from the fancied resemblance which she bore to ,matilda ,denham1 the departed object of his youthful affections4 ,on taking leave of ,mr4 and ,miss ,ryder1 ,mrs4 ,orme made the latter promise that she would pay her a visit in the course of the ensuing summer1 at the ,elms1 as ,anna generally went to ,london once a-year to visit an elder sister1 who had been married and settled there for some years4 ,about two months after ,mrs4 ,orme's departure from ,rockhill1 ,mr4 ,ingleby died1 as narrated in a foregoing chapter1 and was shortly followed to the grave by ,mr4 ,cole1 the ,sector of the parish in which ,mr4 and ,miss ,ryder resided4 ,the reader is already aware of the remarkable religious revolution which now took place in ,aston and the adjoining parish of ,broadhurst1 though of a very lamentable description in the latter place4 ,in the course of the same spring1 ,mrs4 ,orme received intelligence of her husband's death1 an event which naturally excited painful emotions in her breast1 though1 considering his past conduct1 her grief for his loss could neither be very deep nor poignant4 ,her little boy was now nearly two years old1 a lovely child both in appearance and disposition1 and an immense favourite with his grandfather1 who had insisted on his mother leaving him at the ,elms when she went to visit her friends in the west of ,england4 ,on hearing of ,captain ,orme's death1 ,miss ,ryder judged it best to defer her visit to the ,elms2 and consequently it was not till the following year that she had again the pleasure of renewing her friendship with ,mrs4 ,orme1 and thus becoming acquainted with the other members of her family4 ,nothing could exceed the kind attention paid her by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes1 who felt grateful for the kindness she had shown to ,emma while at ,aston4 ,they insisted on her remaining for a considerable period with them1 and also that ,mr4 ,ryder should pay a visit to the ,elms1 and take his sister home4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes had been much pleased with ,miss ,ryder1 and also with her brother when he arrived at the ,elms4 ,the happy change1 too1 in his religious character1 which had now taken place1 led to a strong congeniality of feeling in the intercourse between him and his worthy host and hostess4 ,many a delightful excursion was taken by the family in company with their guests2 a feeling of happiness pervaded every member of the household2 and for the first time since the death of ,louisa1 the family regained their former liveliness and buoyancy of spirits4 ,it was noticed1 however1 that on all occasions ,mr4 ,ryder contrived to secure the company of ,mrs4 ,orme to himself1 both in the family excursions or when at home at the ,elms4 ,various excuses were invented to favour their being by themselves1 without awakening suspicion1 which frequently excited a smile1 and sometimes a good-humoured sarcasm from her sister ,jane4 ,dear1 dear1 said ,mrs4 ,orme1 ,i left a small needle-case in the alcove where we were sitting last evening4 ,i will run1 ,emma1 and fetch it4 ,by no means1 dear ,jane1 ,i won't trouble you2 ,i can very readily put my hand upon it4 ,mr4 ,ryder of course accompanied her to the alcove--a sweet retired spot2 and then they extended their walk to a ,roman camp1 at a few miles' distance--contriving to be back in time to dress for dinner4 ,on the following morning1 ,mr4 ,ryder1 knowing that ,miss ,jane was under a special engagement to meet an old friend1 said at the breakfast table1 ,i should like to take an excursion to town to-day1 if you young ladies will accompany me4 ,i believe1 ,sir1 said the facetious ,jane1 with an arch look and significant nod and smile1 you know that ,i cannot go1 which possibly may make the excursion the more agreeable4 ,the carriage was ordered out2 the excursion was taken2 and an apology was in readiness to be offered on their return for the lateness of the hour4 ,these1 and many similar indications of a mutual attachment1 were too obvious to elude the notice of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes1 and therefore it excited no astonishment when ,mr4 ,ryder1 one morning1 with ,mrs4 ,orme leaning on his arm1 entered ,mr4 ,holmes' study1 and requested his consent to their union4 ,the old man was so much delighted by this somewhat anticipated request1 that without hesitation1 he replied1 ,i will most cheerfully give it2 and may the ,lord bless you4 ,at this moment ,mrs4 ,holmes entered the room1 and joyfully expressed her concurrence in the proposed match1 which had already received the sanction of her husband4 ,after all the preliminaries were duly adjusted the wedding took place2 and the ceremony was conducted by the ,dissenting clergyman whom ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes attended1 and whose ministrations had proved so great a source of consolation to ,louisa1 on the last occasion that she was able to go to chapel4#dc ,in accordance with the feelings1 however1 both of the bride and bridegroom1 it was resolved that there should be no public display or large assemblage of guests1 and that none but the most intimate friends on both sides should be invited4 ,the marriage was consequently a very quiet proceeding2 but though unattended by the public acclamations which greeted that of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 it was nevertheless quite as happy a one1 both at the time of its celebration and in its results4 #dc ,vol4 ii4 p4 #ddj4 ,on the ceremony being completed1 the married couple started for a tour of a few weeks on the ,continent1 proceeding by ,antwerp and ,brussels to the ,rhine1 thence passing through ,switzerland to ,geneva1 and then returning home through ,france1 by ,lyons and ,paris4 ,on arriving at ,southampton1 to which they had crossed from ,dieppe1 they proceeded on their journey to the west of ,england1 and in the course of a day or two arrived at ,aston1 where ,miss ,ryder had everything ready for their reception4 ,and now the reader may suppose that as ,i have so satisfactorily disposed of ,mrs4 ,orme1 there remains nothing more to be said of their friends at the ,elms2 but ,i have not yet quite done with the family of the ,holmes4 ,when a professor of religion renounces his faith1 and goes off into the world1 we usually see1 as in the case of ,mr4 ,beaufoy1#dd a most melancholy change in his character and in his habits4 ,the man of sobriety often becomes intemperate2 the man of unsullied moral character sometimes becomes a libertine2 the habits of domestic virtue and religion are broken up1 and all is desolation and misery4 ,but when a sceptic embraces the faith of ,christ1 the moral and social change is equally conspicuous2 and it invariably proves a personal and a relative blessing4 ,of this1 a striking exemplification occurs in the history of ,mr4 ,gordon1 ,mr4 ,lewellin's early friend4 ,after he felt the renewing power of the grace of ,god1 the old things of evil1 to which he had long addicted himself1 passed away1 and he became a new creature in ,christ ,jesus--an essentially different man1 in taste1 in principle1 and in social habits4 ,he proved the genuineness of his conversion by the integrity and consistency of his conduct in all the subsequent stages of his career4 ,in a letter which ,i received from him1 some months after he had passed from death to life1 he said1 ,though ,i cannot doubt the reality of my spiritual renovation1 and am compelled to ascribe it to the sovereign grace of ,god1 and though ,i am persuaded that he will complete what he has begun1 yet ,i deem it proper to let my principles be fairly tested1 before ,i make any avowed profession of religion4 ,on this resolution he acted4 ,the first thing he did1 that bore the aspect of attachment to the ,christian faith1 was to engage a pew in a church at ,blackfriars'1 where the gospel was preached in its purity2 and he was very regular in his attendance4 ,and it so happened that his pew adjoined the one occupied by ,mr4 ,william ,holmes1 the eldest son of my old friend2 who now1 along with his brother ,edward1 carried on the business from which their father had retired4 ,young ,holmes was already slightly acquainted with ,mr4 ,gordon1 having frequently heard of him from his sisters4 ,in consequence of their sitting so near each other in church they frequently walked home together2 a close intimacy sprung up between them1 and they often visited at each other's houses4 ,the account of ,mr4 ,gordon's miraculous escape1 and the marvellous change of mind and character which immediately followed1 naturally interested young ,holmes1 and still more his family1 who readily acceded to ,william's proposal1 that the next time he came to the ,elms he should bring his friend with him4 ,mr4 ,gordon was easily prevailed upon to accept the invitation2 and so favourable was the impression made by him on ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes1 that he was requested to repeat his visit1 and in a short time became so intimate as gradually to be regarded as one of the family4 ,many months had not elapsed before it was evident that a deep reciprocal attachment had been formed between him and ,miss ,jane1 which at last terminated in a union1 concluded under the happiest auspices4 ,after their marriage1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,gordon went to reside at ,blackheath1 where a few years afterwards ,i had the pleasure of being their guest4 ,they had then three fine children2 and though ,i have not seen either of them for some time1 we still keep up an occasional correspondence4 ,i am also happy to be able to say that after his marriage1 ,mr4 ,gordon became at once decided in his profession of religion1 endeavouring in all things to adorn the doctrine of ,god his ,saviour4 ,his natural hauteur was exchanged for the meekness and gentleness of ,christ2 and he became as zealous in the defence and diffusion of the faith once delivered to the saints1 as he had been in his hostility against it4 ,he was much esteemed by his ,christian brethren1 and so also was his wife1 both of whom are now advancing together to meet the grand crisis of their destiny1 without any dread of the final issue4 #dd ,vol4 ii4 p4 #bdj4 99 99 99 99 99 ,some time after ,mr4 ,ryder's return to ,aston1 ,i received a letter from him giving me a sketch of his tour1 and urging me to redeem the promise ,i had given him to pay the wedding visit4 ,as the autumn was advancing1 ,i resolved to go at once2 and ,i spent two very pleasant weeks with him1 visiting my other friends at intervals4 ,one evening we had at ,mr4 ,lewellin's a large gathering of some of the most prominent personages of my narrative1 including the ,rev4 ,john ,roscoe and his lady1 the ,rev4 ,o4 ,guion1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens1 and ,mrs4 ,roscoe4 ,as soon as we were comfortably seated1 with nothing to do but to partake of our friend's hospitality1 and enjoy the charm of social fellowship1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 addressing ,mr4 ,guion1 said1 ,can you1 ,sir1 tell me anything about my old friends the ,misses ,brownjohn8 ,the last time ,i heard of them they were engaged in a lawsuit about a fortune1 to which they supposed themselves entitled by the death of their nephew4#de ,did they succeed in getting it8 #de ,vol4 i4 p4 #chj4 ,yes1 ,sir2 and it was1 ,i believe1 a very large property4 ,they started their carriage immediately afterwards4 ,do you know how they got over the difficulties occasioned by the non-production of the register of their birth and baptism8 ,i don't know how they got over the legal difficulties2 but the other difficulty was not got over to ,miss ,susan's satisfaction for a long time after she came into the possession of the property4 ,you refer1 ,i presume1 to the omission of her name in the parish registry1 recording the fact of her regeneration8 ,yes1 ,sir4 ,such a document1 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe remarked1 must be of immense value in the estimation of an unregenerated ,tractarian4 ,no getting into heaven without it6 ,a parish registrar must be a very important functionary in the estimation of these ,high ,church devotees4 ,if he fail in his duty1 alas6 their hope of salvation vanishes--they are left to die in despair4 ,to solve her difficulties1 continued ,mr4 ,guion1 ,miss ,susan applied to the bishop's secretary to lay her case before his lordship for his opinion4 ,the reply was to this effect3 that as she had taken the sacrament for many years1 and had a distinct recollection of having been confirmed1 and a faint recollection of her god-mother1 it must be taken for granted that she was baptized4 ,but even this official opinion from the highest ecclesiastical authority of the diocese1 did not quite satisfy her1 though her sister1 ,miss ,dorothy1 often told her it ought2 and gave it as her opinion1 that if there was any omission she was sure the ,almighty would overlook it4 ,against this1 ,miss ,susan demurred4 ',take for granted what ought to be positively certain6 no1 sister1 ,i cannot do that4' ,she was restless--ever going about from one aged person to another1 in the hopes of finding some one who would give her some information as to her baptism4 ,at length she found an old woman who recollected hearing that her uncle ,robert1 who died young1 used to be spoken of in the family as her god-father4 ,she followed up this clue1 and found a son of this uncle ,robert1 who1 on looking through an old account book1 discovered the following entry3--',paid for a silver cup1 given to my god-child1 ,susan ,brownjohn1 of ,norton1 #c1 #ajs4' ,this cup she still had in her possession1 bearing this inscription3--',the gift of ,robert ,fenton4' ,this was hailed as an unmistakeable evidence of her regeneration2 and now she felt sure of going to heaven when the ,almighty took her from earth4 ,how painfully absurd1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 to see an old lady trotting about1 without regarding wind or weather1 in search of the proof of her regeneration2 or1 in other words1 of her title to the kingdom of heaven6 ,are ,miss ,susan and ,miss ,dorothy still alive8 ,miss ,dorothy is2 but ,miss ,susan has been dead for nearly a twelvemonth4 ,it is generally supposed that her death was hastened by her anxieties and exertions about the legitimate proof of her baptismal regeneration4 ,when symptoms of decay became alarming1 her sister engaged a professional nurse to wait upon her--an intelligent old woman1 who afterwards gave me the following account of ,miss ,susan's last days3-- ',the first time ,i saw her1 she was in her own room1 seated in a high-backed arm-chair2 the neatest room ,i ever saw-so clean1 and everything in such prim order4 ',now1 ,mrs4 ----1 ,mrs4 ----1' she said to me1 ',i forget your name1 and therefore ,i shall call you ,mrs4 ,nurse1 ,i am going to die1 for ,dr4 ,black told me when ,i asked him1 that he thought it probable that the ,almighty was going to take me to himself2 and ,i suppose it must be so4 ,now1 ,mrs4 ,nurse1 ,i have a good many prayers to read2 and a good deal to read out of this good book1 ,the ,whole ,duty of ,man2 and ,i like to get all my reading over before tea1 and then ,i can enjoy myself4 ,you will now go out of my room1 and not come back till ,i ring1 which1 ,i suppose1 will be in about an hour's time4' ,however1 the bell rung in about a quarter of an hour1 and ,miss ,dorothy and ,i entered the room together4 ',i can't1' she said to her sister1 'get through my reading so well as ,i used to do4 ,i get sleepy as soon as ,i begin4 ,but ,i see the cup4' ',o6' said ,miss ,dorothy1 'you are too scrupulous1 dear sister2 the ,almighty is sure to overlook it4' ',i suppose he will2 but ,i like to be particular4 ,however1 it's a great comfort to me1 to see the silver cup1 the proof of my baptismal regeneration2 the thing necessary1 you know1 dear sister1 to fit us for heaven4 ,i would not part with it for another fortune from the ,indies4' ',i saw1' said the old nurse1 'a little old-fashioned silver cup on the mantel-piece1 on which she often looked with evident emotions of pleasure3 but ,i could not divine the reason1 till one day she gave me a detailed history of the whole matter4 ,she then asked me whether ,i was baptized at the church2 and whether ,i had satisfied myself that it was duly entered in the church register2 assuring me1 that unless it was1 ,i stood no chance of going to heaven4 ,at length1' continued the old woman1 'the crisis came4' ',i suppose1' said ,dr4 ,black to her1 after examining her pulse very carefully1 'you would like to take the sacrament1 before the ,almighty takes you to himself8' ',to be sure ,i should1 ,doctor2 our ,church appoints it4' ',shall ,i request your ,rector1 ,mr4 ,guion1 to call8' ',to be sure not1 ,doctor4 ,i never have had anything to do with the ,evangelicals while living1 and they shan't come near me when dying4 ,no1 no1 ,doctor2 ,i'll keep to the clergy of the proper order--the clergy of our fathers4' ',very good1 ,madam2 ,i know your predilections4' ',yes1 ,doctor2 and my antipathies4' ',the day and hour was fixed1 and old ,mr4 ,johnson1 from ,ottersley1 came to administer the sacrament2 and ,miss ,susan was dressed for the occasion1 propped up with pillows in her high-backed arm-chair4 ,soon after the ceremony was over1 ,i saw1' said the old nurse1 'a change1 and ,i knew death was coming2 ,miss ,dorothy was standing by her side4' ',i feel1' she remarked1 'a queer sensation coming over me4 ,give me a glass of water2' but she expired when in the act of attempting to take the tumbler into her hand4' ,what a melancholy contrast this presents to the death of the pious cottager1 ,mrs4 ,allen6#df #df ,vol4 i4 p4 #ahg4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i was happy to hear from ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 that the ministry of her husband and his pious ,curate was working moral wonders amongst his parishioners4 ,the church was uniformly crowded with attentive hearers2 the people flocked to it from distant villages and hamlets4 ,but1 ,sir1 she added1 my husband has to pay the usual tax which is levied on all who distinguish themselves by their zeal and energy1 in exposing the absurdity and fatal tendency of the popular superstitions1 and trying to win souls to ,christ4 ',the most favourable construction ,i can put on his conduct1' said an old clergyman1 in a large party1 'is this--he is a little beside himself4' ,i immediately replied1 ',it would be1 reverend ,sir1 a great advantage to many of your parishioners1 if you also were a little beside yourself2 and then they would stop at home1 and attend your ministrations1 instead of having to walk three or four miles every ,sabbath to hear my husband4' ,this startled him1 as he did not know that ,i was present4 ,he then endeavoured to eke out an apology1 which he would have been much wiser to have let alone4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i was sorry to hear that my old friend ,farmer ,pickford had sustained an injury by the slip of the ladder on which he was standing when lopping a tree1 and that he had been confined to his bed some weeks4 ,on seeing me enter his room1 he stretched forth his hand1 and said1 ,i thought1 ,sir1 you would give me a bit of a call1 like4 ,i am main glad to see you4 ,here ,i am1 the ,lord's prisoner4 ,i would rather be the ,lord's prisoner than the devil's free man1 and no mistake4 ,i hope the injury you have sustained is not likely to prove a lasting one4 ,why1 as for that1 ,i can't say4 ,but now and tan ,i think ,i shall never be the man ,i was4 ,i shall never be able to dig and trench1 and mow and thrash1 as when ,i was a youngster4 ,and1 at my time of life1 ,i can't expect it4 ,i am sixty-five come ,october4 ,i tell you what1 ,sir1 ,i see mercy mixed up with this affliction2 and1 as one of the ,psalms says1 ,i can sing of mercy and judgment4 ,what a mercy that my neck was not broken2 and that ,i had no broken bones4 ,i never felt my heart so full of gratitude on going into my homestead as ,i did the morning when ,i was brought in on the hurdle4 ,i couldn't help shedding some tears1 like4 ,the ,lord be praised4 ,then you do not murmur1 or feel disquieted8 ,no1 no1 ,sir2 not ,i4 ,i an't going to commit that sin4 ,i have had much comfort while lying on this bed1 and no mistake4 ,my mistress comes and sits by my side1 and reads ,god's precious ,book to me4 ,i get main fond of the ,psalms3 they are like upland springs1 they refresh my soul at once1 like4 ,and she comes1 after church1 on a ,sunday1 and talks over the sarmunts she hears there2 and they come home to my heart4 ,and ,harry often comes1 when he has struck off work1 and he reads a bit1 and gives the meaning of it1 in his plain way1 and what he says comes to my heart4 ,so you see1 ,sir1 ,i have many mercies mixed up with this affliction4 ,well1 ,farmer1 ,i am happy to find that you are still holding on your way to the kingdom of heaven1 and are full of peace and hope as you move onwards4 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i hope you didn't think ,i should turn back1 when you were gone4 ,turn back to the world and sin6 and turn my back on the precious ,saviour1 who had compassion on1 and rescued me when ,i was a lost sinner6 ,no1 ,sir2 ,i would rather be hacked to death first1 and no mistake4 ,but ,i mustn't feel boastful4 ,i don't keep myself4 ,no4 ,the ,lord is my keeper4 ,i mind a sarmunt ,mr4 ,ingleby preached one ,sunday morning4 ,it made me strongish in faith1 like2 ,i got the text by heart before ,i took dinner1 and ,i can say it1 without missing a word--',and ,i give unto them eternal life2 and they shall never perish1 neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand' 7,john x4 #bh74 ,the ,psalmist says1 ',it hath been good for me that ,i have been afflicted2' and ,i suppose1 ,farmer1 you can say the same8 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i can1 and no mistake4 ,i am main glad for this affliction4 ,it gives me a bit of breathing time1 like2 ,i can think over spiritual matters now ,i am in this quiet room1 better than ,i could while busy at the farm work4 ,it's all right4 ,the ,lord be praised4 ,you expect1 ,i suppose1 that you shall soon get about again8 ,why1 as for that1 ,i can't say4 ,i have a main liking for this room4 ,it is so quiet1 and my thoughts now and tan be so delightsome4 ,it's true ,i have had a power of pain and suffering1 but this has been overtopped by heart's ease and spiritual rejoicings4 ,i can say1 what my mistress read out of the blessed book1 ',the ,lord has made my bed in my affliction4' ,and here ,i am1 willing to lie still or get up1 to suffer longer or go to farm work1 just as the ,lord pleases4 ,i a'nt much mindful about it4 ,i suppose1 ,farmer1 you have thought sometimes during your confinement1 about your departure from earth1 to be with ,christ8 ,aye1 that's it1 and no mistake4 ,t'other night1 when ,i was thinking a bit about dying and going into t'other world1 ,i wondered how ,i should feel when looking at ,jesus ,christ for the first time1 and what ,i should say to him1 and what he would say to me4 ,these thinkings came to and again1 with such power1 that tears streamed out of my eyes1 and no mistake2 and ,i wept on1 till ,i fell asleep4 ,he will appear in his glory1 when he comes to receive you to himself2 and it will be a glory very brilliant1 yet it won't dazzle or confound you1 as your power of vision will be equal to the grandeur of the spectacle4 ,what a marvellous wonder that he should ever take a bit of a liking to such a wicked fellow as ,i was6 ,but it's just like him4 ,when he was here1 he looked out for the chief of sinners2 after them that are lost4 ,i a'nt forgot your sarmunt in the barn about ,zaccheus4 ,i shall think of it when ,i am in heaven1 if ,i should ever get there1 as ,i hope ,i shall4 ,and ,i shall have a bit of wish to see him1 as he had to see ,jesus ,christ1 when he got up into the sycamore tree4 ,i was much gratified by finding him in such a heavenly frame of mind--so patient under his sufferings1 so resigned to the ,divine will1 so joyful in hope1 and so strong in faith4 ,i read a chapter1 making a few explanatory remarks1 prayed with him1 and left him2 but he would not let me go without a promise that ,i would see him again4 ,on my next visit1 ,i saw ,mrs4 ,pickford1 who appeared the picture of grief4 ,she wept1 and said--,my dear husband has been very ill the last two days1 and in very great pain2 ,i fear the ,lord is going to take him from me4 ,however1 ,i have the consolation of knowing1 that he has taken refuge in the ark of safety2 he cleaves to the dear ,redeemer with all his heart4 ,it is quite wonderful to hear how he talks about the love of ,christ2 about feeling its power on his soul2 and about seeing him1 and being made like him4 ,i went into his room1 shook hands with him1 and had a long conversation4 ,when speaking of the ,saviour coming1 in the spiritual manifestations of his presence1 to comfort and animate his disciples in the chamber of affliction1 or when entering death's dark vale1 he interrupted me by a burst of natural eloquence1 which greatly delighted us--,i can speak to the truth of what you say4 ,he does come and comfort my heart4 ,i have had more heart-rejoicings in this room1 than ,i ever had at church or chapel1 when hearkening to sarmunts1 and that is saying a great deal4 ,my soul has been taken up to the third heaven1 and though ,i have not seen ,jesus ,christ with my bodily eyes as ,paul did1 yet ,i have felt the sweetness of his love--the preciousness of his love1 and no mistake4 ,i say to my wife1 ,i say to my children1 ,i say to my servants1 and all my neighbours1 ,take refuge in ,christ1 the living ark of safety1 to save you from the wrath to come2 and love him with all your hearts1 and then when you die1 ,he will come and comfort you1 as he comes and comforts me4 ,i beg pardon1 ,sir1 for stopping you1 but ,i couldn't hold no longer4 ,my heart was too full4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it is now a long time since ,i was last at ,fairmount2 but ,i frequently correspond with ,mr4 ,stevens and ,mr4 ,lewellin1 and hear how matters are going on in that part of the country1 of which1 though not my native place1 ,i may truly say1 from the pleasing associations connected with it1 in the words of ,horace-- ,ille terrarum mibi prter omnes ,angulus ridet4 ,my friends ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens continue as formerly in the enjoyment of good health and spirits1 and though advanced in years1 are still active in promoting the religious and moral improvement of the villagers in their neighbourhood4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lewellin have now a young family growing up about them2 and ,rockhill is quite the admiration of the country round for the great improvements effected on it by ,mr4 ,lewellin1 who1 by diligent perseverance1 and the valuable services of his bailiff1 ,harry ,pickford1 has become quite a scientific farmer4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,ryder are very happy1 with two sweet children1 a boy and a girl1 and a constant interchange of visits is kept up with ,rockhill and ,fairmount4 ,miss ,ryder still lives with them2 but it is doubtful whether this will be the case much longer1 at least it is currently reported in the village that ,mr4 ,hartley1 the ,rector of ,aston1 is shortly to lead her to the altar1 a statement which receives some corroboration1 from the circumstance that the ,rector has lately been getting his house repaired and newly furnished4 ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 shortly after her husband's death1 took up her abode with her daughter and son-in-law1 where she receives every attention and kindness1 and looks tranquilly forward to joining her beloved husband in a better world4 ,my old friend ,farmer ,pickford1 after being confined for nearly twelve months1 gradually regained his health and his physical energy1 and is now become a hale old man1 and has every prospect of attaining a patriarchal age4 ,a few months since ,i received from him a basket of game1 with the following characteristic note3-- ,,reverend ,,sir1--,as you have left off honouring my wife's cookery1 she and ,i have been thinking that you would like to taste a bit of our game in your own house4 ,i shot the hares1 and ,harry killed the partridges and the snipes4 ,they are quite fresh--all killed yesterday4 ,we hope they will come safe4 ,i am happy to say that all's well at the homestead4 ,we get a good sarmunt now and tan1 in the kitchen4 ,i hope we shall all meet in heaven1 and no mistake4--,yours devoutly1 ,,john ,,and ,,martha ,,pickford4 ,his son ,george is now captain of a vessel1 and ,sam is his mate4 ,people say that ,harry is to be married soon to a daughter of ,farmer ,goddard2 and if so1 it is believed that he will leave his situation at ,rockhill1 and occupy the adjoining farm1 which will become vacant at ,michaelmas4 ,,conclusion4 ,the ,author has now brought his labours to a close2 and having thus finally disposed of the various characters in his story1 it may justly be presumed that nothing more remains to be done but simply to thank his readers for their courteous attention to his narrative1 and bid them a hearty and respectful farewell4 ,but1 perhaps1 before doing so1 he may be permitted to cast a retrospective glance on the course through which he and his readers have passed together1 and review some of the leading principles which he has endeavoured to illustrate and enforce in the course of his work4 ,in commencing his labours1 the ,author of the ,sheepfold and the ,common resolved to maintain a strict neutrality amid the various conflicting sects in the ,christian ,church1 and avoid everything like an undue clannishness or esprit de corps4 ,assuming a position midway between the two principal religious parties which exist amongst us--,church and ,dissent--he resolved to hold the balance of judgment and justice with an impartial hand--neither to lower the one1 nor unduly exalt the other--allowing each to retain its own ecclesiastic polity1 without presuming to encroach on the freedom which both so equitably claim4 ,he has1 he admits1 exposed some of the imperfections of the ,episcopal ,establishment2 but these very imperfections have been pointed out and animadverted on by many of its most intelligent and decided advocates and admirers1 both of the clergy and laity4 ,in so doing1 however1 it has been very far from his intention wantonly to impair the credit of the ,church of ,england1 or alienate her members from her communion2 but to render his assistance in paving the way for a revision of her polity1 which is now so loudly called for1 and which1 in general belief1 will render her a greater and a more impressive instrument of moral and spiritual power amongst the great mass of the people4 ,he has not attempted to set in hostile array against each other those who are united in the same faith1 though differing in denominational opinions and practices4 ,he has given no advice to a ,churchman or to a ,dissenter which stands in opposition to the pure and catholic spirit of the gospel2 but he has endeavoured to induce all1 from a profound regard to the authority of ,jesus ,christ1 as well as their own moral dignity and happiness1 to 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 charity 7#b ,pet4 i4 #e-g74 ,his main object throughout the whole of his labours has been to present1 in a popular form1 the leading doctrines of the ,christian faith2 and to vindicate its integrity and purity against its ever-active opponents2 and to prove1 at the same time1 that it is a remedial scheme to recover man from the ruin occasioned by the first transgression1 rather than a mere educational or ceremonial one4 ,he is aware that the heart of every man1 while in an unenlightened and unrenewed state1 presents an impassable barrier against its claims2 but the regular marshalled forces of opposition are concentrated within the fortresses of scepticism and superstition4 ,scepticism assumes different phases1 and takes various grounds of objection--alternately denying the truthfulness of the historic records of ,christianity--impugning the credibility of its witnesses1 and the rationality of its doctrines--inveighing against the so-called arrogance of its claims and requirements--and rejecting it as an ill-contrived theory1 which answers no other purpose than to gratify the visionary1 or affright the credulous4 ,in the person of ,mr4 ,gordon and others1 the ,author has allowed scepticism to express its hostility to ,christianity2 and the reader will form his own judgment of the way in which the arguments put forth by infidelity have been met and repelled4 7,see vol4 i4 pp4 #if-ajd1 #acc-add1 and #acg2 ii4 #gf-ajg47 ,in endeavouring thus to explain and illustrate ,evangelical doctrines1 the ,author has necessarily been led1 by the nature of his subject1 to expose and confute the various forms of heresy and theological error which appear to be more especially characteristic of the present age4 ,on one of these--the ,tractarian heresy--which prevails to such a lamentable extent among many members of the ,church of ,england1 he has deemed it expedient to dwell at considerable length1 and has frequently introduced the views maintained by the ,high ,church party1 as a subject of disquisition4 ,on this point it may1 perhaps1 be necessary to enter somewhat into detail1 as to many persons the remarks on the doctrines professed by the ,tractarian body1 and the animadversions on the teaching of their clergymen1 may appear somewhat severe and unwarranted4 ,it cannot1 the ,author conceives1 be denied by any ,christian1 who bows to the absolute authority of the ,bible1 and its obvious interpretation1 that the only way to obtain eternal life is by believing in ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and that the spiritual regeneration of the soul is a necessary pre-requisite and qualification for an admission into the kingdom of heaven4 ,but ,tractarianism1 like ,romanism1 virtually ignores this scheme of mercy1 by introducing a ceremonial apparatus1 by which a priestly power effects for its deluded victims and devotees all that is necessary for final salvation1 without the concurrence of any supernatural grace1 but what is supposed to flow through the artificially prescribed channels4 ,to expose the absurdity1 as well as the anti-,christian character of this heresy1 the ,author has introduced1 in the person of ,mr4 ,roscoe1 the character of a devout and spiritually enlightened man1 and in his brother1 the ,rev4 ,john ,roscoe1 that of an able and zealous advocate of the ,tractarian theory4 ,the reader will form his own opinion on the merits of the question at issue1 and the force of the arguments maintained by the supporters of the respective systems 7i4 #cag-dgg74 ,no one1 the ,author thinks1 can read the ,new ,testament with careful attention1 without perceiving that the sacred writers treat of two distinct orders of human beings--the natural1 and the spiritual man2 the one enlightened and renovated1 and living in mental fellowship with ,god2 the other1 living through life under the governing influence of his constitutional principles1 and conventional predilections and habits--in whose estimation1 whether he be a libertine or a religious devotee1 the necessity of a mental regeneration is viewed as a fiction1 or a mere theological dogma4 ,hence1 it devolved on the ,author1 in a work of this description1 to draw plainly the broad line of distinction1 which he thinks the intelligent reader will discover he has done in his illustrative and confirmatory examples1 as well as by the simple process of reasoning1 deducible from the authoritative data of the inspired volume4 7,see vol4 i4 pp4 #aih1 #cdb-cdf1 #ceb-cef2 see also paper on ,calm ,discussion1 i4 #bdf1 and ,a ,struggle for ,life1 ii4 #dic47 ,this broad line of distinction between the two orders of men1 becomes more marked and decisive when they are dying1 or when anticipating death4 ,as an instance of this1 the reader is presented with a contrast in the narrative of the deathbed of ,mrs4 ,allen 7i4 #ahg1 #ahh71 as compared with that of ,miss ,susan ,brownjohn 7ii4 #efh-egj71 and in the respective accounts of the last moments of ,mr4 ,ingleby1 the ,evangelical pastor2 and ,mr4 ,cole1 the advocate of ,tractarian principles 7ii4 #ebc-ebh1 #edj-edd74 ,in separate papers1 which form essential parts of his work1 he has brought under the notice of his readers a variety of individual cases1 which may prove as beacons1 or examples of great practical utility4 ,he would call the serious attention of the incautious1 who may be exposed to beguiling temptations1 to the case of ,mr4 ,lewellin 7i4 #ac71 young ,harvey 7ii4 #agi71 and ,mr4 ,beaufoy 7ii4 #bdj74 ,to the case of the ,,anxious ,,inquirer1 who is intensely concerned for his salvation1 the ,author has paid great attention1 by explaining the cause of his mental disquietude1 which is a penetrating conviction of personal guilt1 and a clear perception of its consequent danger 7i4 #daf and #ejc74 ,the great question1 ,what must we do to be saved8 answered3 see ,an ,escape from a ,false ,refuge 7i4 #ecj72 also1 ,the ,farm-house ,kitchen 7ii4 #bib74 ,the spiritual perplexities to which all are subjected1 in some degree1 while working out their salvation1 are specified and adjusted1 and these are3--,the defective nature of repentance 7i4 #agf72 the declension of spiritual enjoyments1 and the want of an assurance of final salvation 7ii4 #aei74 ,see also ,mrs4 ,loader's ,letter 7ii4 #cjc74 ,in the person of ,miss ,roscoe we have a specimen of ,christian decision1 its sacrifices1 its struggles1 its conflicts1 its triumphs1 and its recompense of reward4 ,miss ,holmes' religious history presents a very different complexion2 in her we see the good work of grace beginning and advancing under favourable auspices2 her conflicts are mental1 and the final issue is glorious4 ,in the case of ,miss ,emma ,holmes is exhibited the painful consequences of duplicity and headstrong rashness1 in entering into the married state4 ,nothing1 in the opinion of the ,author1 has a more powerful influence over the popular mind1 to excite prejudice against ,christianity1 and to lead the profane and sceptical to call in question its ,divine origin1 than the multiplicity of sects which exist within the pale of the visible church2 especially when they perceive the bitter and antagonistic spirit which they often cherish and express towards each other4 ,the evil of this and its remedy1 the ,author has endeavoured to point out and illustrate 7ii4 #ah-cf47 ,the ,author has interwoven1 in the progress of his work1 many specimens of the wonder-working power of the grace of ,god1 in the regeneration and conversion of persons of varying degree of moral excellencies and of moral worthlessness2 and of the diversified mode of operation which is observed by the ,divine ,spirit when effecting it4 ,he would call the attention of the intelligent reader to the following cases1 which are so many living witnesses in confirmation of the ,divine origin and blissful tendency of the truth1 by which they are called out of a state of spiritual death to give their testimony3--,mr4 ,lewellin 7i4 #bc71 the ,rev4 ,o4 ,guion 7i4 #gf71 ,miss ,roscoe 7i4 #abi71 ,mr4 ,tennent 7i4 #aea71 ,mr4 ,roscoe 7i4 #bgh71 ,farmer ,pickford 7i4 #dg1 #cib1 #ega71 ,miss ,denham 7i4 #dad71 ,rev4 ,john ,roscoe 7i4 #dbh71 ,miss ,osbourne1 the ,quakeress 7i4 #ejc71 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,lobeck 7i4 #ebh-edd71 ,mrs4 ,hastings--see ,the ,effect of a ,word ,spoken in ,season 7ii4 #ajh71 ,mrs4 ,farrington--see ,the ,farm-house ,kitchen 7ii4 #bhd71 ,mr4 ,ryder--see ,a ,struggle for ,life 7ii4 #dic71 ,mr4 ,gordon 7ii4 #eaa-eae74 ,that the papers are very unequal in point of interest and execution1 no one is more conscious of than the writer2 but what he has written1 he wrote as well as he could when it was written2 and he must now leave it to be dealt with1 just as the candid and impartial critic may decide4 ,he knows that perfection has never been attained2 and though he feels that partiality for his own productions with which authors are charged1 and to which they are compelled to plead guilty1 when they speak so as to be believed1 yet he is not vain enough to suppose that he has attained it4 ,the work has its faults1 which he has not skill enough to conceal1 nor temerity enough to vindicate and if it possess no excellence1 it will soon descend to that state of oblivion from which no interest can redeem it4 ,and now1 to quote the language of an elegant author1 could he flatter himself that any one would take half the pleasure in reading his numbers which he has taken in writing them1 he would not fear the loss of his labour4 ,the employment detached him from the bustle and hurry of life1 the din of politics1 and the noise of folly2 vanity and vexation flew away for a season1 care and disquietude came not near his dwelling4 ,he arose fresh as the morning to his task2 the silence of the night invited him to peruse it2 and he can truly say1 that food and rest were not preferred before it4 ,happier hours than those which have been spent in composing them he never expects to see in this world3 very pleasantly did they pass1 and moved smoothly and swiftly along2 for when thus engaged he counted no time4 ,they are gone1 but have left a relish and a fragrance upon the mind2 and the remembrance of them is sweet4 ,it has been justly observed1 that there are few things not purely evil1 of which we can say1 without some emotion of uneasiness1 this is the last4 ,those who never could agree together1 shed tears when mutual discontent has determined them to final separation4 ,of a place which has been frequently visited1 though without pleasure1 the last look is taken with heaviness of heart2 and the ,author1 who has by a series of papers contributed to the improvement and gratification of society1 may expect to be forgiven1 if he should feel some novel sensations pervading his breast1 when his last essay is before him4 ,thus in the planning and execution of our schemes1 life passes away1 and we advance by unconscious steps towards its termination2 and though by a singular species of artifice we contrive to keep our latter end in some distant perspective of futurity1 yet in our more serious moments of reflection we feel that it is approaching4 ,and can we anticipate it with cool indifference8 ,can we think of taking a last look at the varied beauties of nature1 which have so often charmed the eye--of hearing the last words of friendship1 which have so often delighted the ear--of uttering the last adieu which is to separate us from all communion with the inhabitants of earth--without feeling a degree of pensive sadness1 which nothing can relieve but the hope of a blissful immortality8 ,and even when this hope breaks in upon our solemn musings1 and dispels the gloom which envelopes them1 it is not always in our power to regain that tranquillity which the approach of our last hour tends to disturb4 ,our last hour6 ,it may now be distant1 but ere long it will be near4 ,suppose it were now come6 ,suppose only sixty more minutes of time were allotted to us on earth6 ,suppose we were now within a few1 a very few steps of the seat of final judgment6 ,suppose in a few moments we should be called to give an account of the deeds done in the body1 whether good or evil6 ,suppose1 ere the village clock proclaims to the rustic inhabitants the departure of another hour1 we should be doomed to receive the decisive sentence1 which will ,remove us to yon heav'nly place1 ,or shut us up in hell1 what would be the state of our mind8 ,should we be calm1 like the woodman1 who after the toils of the day1 goes home to enjoy his rest8 or should we be alarmed1 as when the mariner sees the first symptoms of the rising storm8 ,should we be in ecstasy1 as when the captive is released from the prison-house of wretchedness1 and restored to his home8 or should we turn pale1 and tremble like the condemned criminal1 when he hears the first sound of his own funeral knell8 ,these are questions which we may now dismiss under an apprehension that they relate to a remote period2 but that period is not so remote1 as when the questions first met the eye of the reader2 and ere long it will be the present time4 ,are we prepared to live through our last hour2 and to give up our life1 when the last pulse shall beat through our veins1 without wishing to prolong it8 ,are we ready to step across the boundary which divides the visible from the invisible world1 without faltering in our passage8 ,if so1 we may live in peace4 ,we need fear no evil4 ,we may range into futurity1 without being appalled by any rising forms of terror4 ,we may anticipate the last hour with tranquil joy1 and calmly wait its approach4 ,but if not1 we ought to feel alarm4 ,to be gay and sportive when treading on the verge of eternal woe1 would be no less than a species of mental delirium4 ,it would be an act of criminal folly2 a treasuring up to ourselves wrath against the day of wrath2 and impiously smiling as the storm of the ,divine displeasure is accumulating its stores of vengeance4 ,let me1 then1 before ,i have taken my final farewell of my reader1 urge him once more to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling4 ,let me once more point his attention to the ,lamb of ,god1 that taketh away the sin of the world4 ,let me once more tell him1 in the language which fell from the lips of the ,redeemer1 when he was on the earth3--,he that believeth on the ,son hath everlasting life3 and he that believeth not the ,son shall not see life2 but the wrath of ,god abideth on him4 ,i have now done2 and commending my well-meant though imperfect labours to the blessing of ,him who alone can render them effectual to the salvation of my readers1 ,i now retire to the more private duties of my station1 yet not without indulging the hope of meeting some in the celestial world1 to whom ,i have been the means of imparting consolation1 while passing through this valley of weeping4 ,,the ,,end4 ,,glasgow3 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blackie ,,and ,,co41 ,,printers1 ,,villafield4 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 ,quotation marks are inconsistent2 mismatched quotes are not fixed if it's not sufficiently clear where the missing quote should be placed4 ,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 ,page #agd3 ,the missing word it has been added by the transcriber3 we are satisfied that it is our duty to hear the gospel4