Part 13 (2/2)
One day, he ca for some time that I should like to coreed to this with thanks, as the first sign of syo and take your services in exchange?”
”Oh no, certainly not; I wish you to be present in your own church I will preach in theI will be there to see and hear you” We soon fixed upon the day He came to dinner with us the previous Saturday, but before he would sit down he ht of the pulpit, and see that all other things were to his taste He asked me if I would remove the candlesticks froown These were all matters of indifference tocoether, talking over the work in the place, and then went to the weekly prayer- the service was conducted at his request, in the usualthat he stood away in the eastern corner of the north side of the table, ”scrootching” away like a Papist, as the people described it They had been accustomed to see me stand at the western or outside corner of the north side He was much amused at this criticis asked for an interlude on the organ before the last verse of the Psal theplayed he caain, and swept up the steps into the pulpit He gave us an excellent sermon--preached, as the Cornish people say, ”to a forh he did not look at it much He showed it to , done in cyphers and hieroglyphics of his own; again and again there appeared a figure with two horns and a tail; this, he told ns He preached with far more animation than was his wont, and towards the end of his serether, and leaned over the front of the pulpit, gesticulating with his hands, and looking at the people They got very excited, and followed every sentence with some response, till he became excited also When he came down from the pulpit, he said that he had never preached with such help before; he had quite enjoyed his own serht he understood the secret of what I called being ”converted”
He ca of the children, and expressed himself very pleased with their behaviour, and readiness in answering questions In the evening, he sat in a part of the church where he could see the congregation, and the preacher, and so make his desired observations The service was, perhaps, a little more animated than usual, and the sermon may have been the same After this was over, he ith me into the school-room, where he heard the people pray, and also thank God for the
About ten o'clock at night we returned home, when my friend declared he had never known a day like this in all his s as he had seen ”Your congregation,” he said, ”is like the waves of the sea, and lassy mill-pond Now I must have you come and preach in reed, and we fixed upon the second Sunday, as he wanted a week to announce er for the ti to stay for several days On Sundaythe church was filled fro on the tip-toe of expectation
Many anxious ones remained after the sermon to be spoken with, about their souls The church was scarcely cleared, before thethe bells for the afternoon service This ties, chancel, pulpit-stairs, and every available corner were crowded, and the congregation certainly did not look like a ”mill-pond,” but more like ”the waves of the sea”
At the close of this service, the people begged for another in the evening The vicar said, ”Oh, that is impossible, for I dine at six o'clock”
”But,” I involuntarily added, ”do not ave h for to-day I can take the service alone, if you are agreeable”
”But we have no lamps for the church It cannot be”
I was silenced now, and gave up the point; when the churchwarden ca the church
The vicar at last consented, on condition that he was allowed to have his dinner in peace As the time approached, however, he put off that important ether to the third service
This tiet it, and e did succeed a hted from the pews Some of the wealthier people had lamps, but the others had candles, one, two, or more in their respective compartments
From the pulpit it looked ation I had liberty in preaching, and the people were greatly itated-indeed, so ht he would not have another service in the church, and accordingly announced that the Monday eveningwhich he nae barn-like structure, where they cured fish in the season, but at other times it was unoccupied
The next day happened to be very wet, and, added to this, in the evening it began to bloell Notwithstanding this inclemency, e arrived at the ”fish-cellar,” as it was called, we found it craround, and sitting there on strahich had been provided for the occasion, theon the cross-bea beyond all description, for besides being densely crowded below and above, the wooden shutters were shut, on account of the wind and rain, the people's wet clothes were stea smell of stale fish At first we felt as if it would be impossible to bear it, but after a little tis to think about
I gave out a hy as loud as I could, that all the congregationthe sermon, the responses wereAfter speaking for about thirty e high boots, who had co in the little vacant space before the table, on which were placed two candles and a glass of water I saw, as the address went on, that though he was very quiet, his breast was heaving with e in his round, and bellowed out a loud prayer for ”God'sthe table--candles, water, and all--which went doith a great crash, he fell on one or toht and consternation, as only wonal, it could not have been more effectual, for there was instantly a simultaneous as well as an universal outcry The whole place was filled with a confused din of voices; so, and others exhorting, and that at the top of their voices, in order to be heard In theto restore order, and many joined ood vicar was overwhelht be, at this tuh to stand and look at the waves of the sea; but when they rose and broke, as it were, on the shore where he was standing, and surrounded hiether toothere, beckoned me to hi, ”There will be no peace till you are out of this place” The extree from the hot cellar into the cold and pitiless wind and rain was so great, that we fled precipitately to the cottage which stood opposite Happily, the door was on the latch, and ent in I felt about in the dark for a chair, but not finding one, sat on the table, listening to the noise and din of the ht that the tuone, for he said that I ”made as much noise, if not et my hat and coat, and also the inevitable uet on in Cornwall He was a long ti which a e where I was sitting, and tuh He evidently did not suspect that any one was there After sighing and groaning several times, he said to hiht, sure enough; he is right, I'uised my voice, and asked, ”What hbour? Couldn't yer get in? Why, Iinside”
”What did he say?”
”Why, said he, 'the devil's no fool!' and of course he ain't He has hooks in all his baits, and I have sed lots o' them Oh, what shall I do? What shall I do?”
Then I heard hi I sat still on the table, saying, ”Amen! amen!” every now and then, to his prayer, till he becaot into a which the Cornish call ”wrastling in prayer” In this condition he was quite past heeding any one's presence I helped and guided hian to praise On conized reat heavy arled me! The vicar (who I did not knoas in the rooot ain, and they are getting worse and worse in the barn--what ever is to be done? We cannot go hoe will not be here for at least an hour What ao then to the barn for a short ti on”
After some hesitation, he went in with ; but, as I expected, far too much absorbed to observe our presence