Part 14 (1/2)

After a time, some of the lads noticed me and cried out lustily, ”The parson is here! The parson is here!” and in a moment ere surrounded by a number of happy people, ere so demonstrative that they made the poor vicar tree fear

They said, ”You will coain to-morrow?”

”Certainly,” I replied

”Oh, no,” rejoined the vicar; ”on no account One night of this work is quite enough--ive up; but a man said, ”Never mind, ill carry it on This revival will not stop for a week or fortnight, for certain”

This was terrifying news for the vicar, who turned, and looking at me with astonishment, said, reproachfully, ”How did you do it?”

I replied, ”This is not in it, neither can I stop it; nor would I, even if I could I dare not I have known persons brought under heavy judg a revival Take o on; they knohat they are about”

Soon the carriage cae; but the dear man was much put out, and evidently very sorry that he had asked me to come and disturb his mill-pond Indeed, he said asthrough the village, I heard that thewas continued until two o'clock in the , and that it was announced there would be one in the chapel that evening As the Church refused the blessing, there were others ere happy to receive it

I returned home sooner than I was expected, and told s I had seen and heard; and they ”glorified God”

CHAPTER 19

A Mission in the ”shi+res” 1853

At the tio, special services for preaching were not called by the name of ”Missions” I think that word has been derived froressive efforts in London, which they called ”Catholic Missions” From them it has been adopted by soe infatuation, by which these Roives them neither place nor quarter! However, the word is noell understood, and itsis plainer than any definitions of n parts” (as the Cornish call it) was to a town in Devonshi+re, where I stopped three or four days The day I arrived I preached in the church, because it was the regular evening service; special services were not then known, unless it was for some Missionary Society, or other such advocacy The idea of preaching to awaken souls, was considered very strange and fanatical The church I preached in had high pehich preventedthe occupants I was told that it was full, and certainly there were faces visible here and there; but the whole congregation was so still, that the dropping of the proverbial ”pin”and dead, no ”Amens!” or ”Glory!” as in Cornwall; indeed, the stillness had such an effect upontwo or three hard appeals, andbut silence for a response, I concluded, and came away , the vicar showed me some beads, leathers, and flohich had been left in the pews of the church So I found that the shots had hit soh the town in the course of the day, a tallafter me (not to ash erly, ”Are you the ht?”

I said, ”Yes, I aht?”

I answered him somewhat doubtfully, ”I suppose not,” for the vicar did not knohat excuse there could be fora second time

He continued, ”Will you coe rooation”

I assented; so we fixed the ti down in the evening, I foundmore had promised to co doors between two roo borrowed forms and chairs, he was able to accommodate seventy people As many as this came, andbesides

We sang heartily, and after prayer, I felt a little '; but it was not up to Cornwall yet! In my address I had liberty and power to hold the people, and we had so one also My reatly cheered and revived, and fros in various cottages and farm places

From there I went on into Dorsetshi+re, and arrived at the vicarage to which I was going, rather late on Saturday night, very tired; so o to bed as soon as possible On Sunday ation, the words which God gaveout, the vicar's wife said, ”If I had sat up all night telling you about the people, you could not have preached more appropriately; indeed, I am sure that some of them will think that I told you what to say”

It was so, for this sa s which her husband dared not! In the evening the church was craer Sos, so powerfully did the Word come home to them At the conclusion of the service, I announced that I had coht for the week, and would visit the I called at several cottages, in one of which King George the Third used to attend a prayer- with the country people

In the afternoon I went to the convict prison at Portland It was sad to look upon the prisoners clanking about in their chains,a road to the sea I could not help saying to the chaplain, alking with me, ”What a picture is that! It is exactly how Satan employs unbelievers to make their own road to hell As such, they are condemned already, because they do not believe in Christ; and for the sa pardoned, they are bound in chains”

”Well,” said the chaplain drily, ”that seems all clear and scriptural

Would you like to speak to then to the warder, who coive attention, and the order was at once obeyed

Standing on the bank, I spoke to the them of the devil and chains, as the chaplain expected, I spoke of God's love to sinners, and said that ”chastiseer, but in kindness God is angry when the wicked are allowed to go on unpunished; but when punished in this world, it is not for expiation of sin (for only the blood of Jesus can do that), but for the purpose of awakening and huressor, that he may with contrite heart return to the Lord, who alone is able to deliver us froood,' said the Psalmist, 'that I have been afflicted: before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept Thy word'”