Part 23 (1/2)

CHAPTER 28

A Mission to the North, 1855

When my family were all comfortably settled and surrounded by kind friends, I went off to the north of England, on a visit to a clergy this on a previous occasion, in the diocese of Oxford; where the bishop took away his licence, because he had me to preach for him The real cause of offence was, that there was a revival in the parish; and complaint was made to the bishop, that people were kept up till ”all hours of the night, howling and praying” His lordshi+p sent forthwith for , ”He will be sure to return it to you; but perhaps with a reprimand” Instead of this, the bishop kept it, and said that he would countersign his testiusted and disposed to rebel; but instead of this, he bore the treate at G--, in the north of England

Thither, nothing afraid, he invited me to come In this part of the country I found a hearty lively people, soained ht earnest

In this place a revival began at once; and every day we had people crying forothers, there came to the church on Sunday afternoon, a tall Yorkshi+reallery, in his shi+rt sleeves, with a clay pipe sticking out of his waistcoat pocket, and a little cap on his head I fancy I can see hi earnestly at , with his hand on one of the iron supports of the gallery As the sermon proceeded he became deeply interested, and step by step drew nearer to the pulpit He seeether unconscious that he was not dressed for a Sunday congregation, or that he was the object of any special notice After the sermon he knelt down in the aisle, and there he reo to hiet him to say a word I prayed by his side, and after soot up, and went towards the door I followed hi the path, he raves in the churchyard, to a particular one; and then he threw hiround, in vehe about ”Edward,” but we could not distinguish what it was The sexton said that this was his son Edward's grave Poor reat sorrow; but he kept it all to himself He then went hohter could do nothing with him in his distress We called several ti, but in vain

The next hter told one out early, and had not returned to breakfast She appeared to be in a good deal of trouble, and said she had been to his mine to inquire for hi we searched for hiht find his body on the ground, or hanging from a tree; while others inquired in every direction, with increasing anxiety, till the evening Then, as ere returning horeen lane between the vicarage and the church, but our friend He was looking into the shrubs as if watching so; and e came up to him, he turned to us with a radiant sude'”

I said, ”You are right, He is so”

”Yes, I aht! thank God! Think of that! He saved ht?”

”Oh yes, certainly I will be there”

”But,” I said, ”have you been hoirl knows all about ed, and so filled with the Spirit, that his old worldly companions were afraid of him The publican of the inn he used to frequent was particularly so, and said he was frightened to be in the sa the people in this place; for the fear of the Lord had fallen on thely, and an to be afraid of as going on; and wrote to ask counsel of a clerical neighbour at C--, who answered his letter by inviting hi me with him He said that he wanted , adding, ”I have already given notice, and also read parts of your letter in church I ae congregation Be sure and bring hily, on the Friday we appeared there, and in the evening I preached to a large and attentive assembly Many were awakened, and some remained behind to be spoken with; others, ere too shy to do so, went ho that several had had no sleep or rest all night Three , had found peace After this, we drove slowly back to G--, but a er had arrived before us, and said that I ain with him, for the bills were already out that I would preach on Sunday and following days at C---- The vicar was o, but under these circue the ht for that purpose

At the Sundayservice, the er attention, i to happen There was a deeply sole, which made it very easy to preach In the course of my sermon, I know not why, I was led to Speak about the endless misery of hell; and soreat clock in hell, with a large dial, but no hands tosullenly and slowly fro, 'Ever! never!' 'Ever! never!'”

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Both Bridaine and Krummacher have expressed somewhat the same idea

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This see the people: o away until they had been spoken with A others, the churchwarden came to me in a very excited state, and said, ”What ever made you say, 'Now or never!--now or never!'?” He was like one beside hiht of the pendulum which I had described ”Now or never!--now or never!” he kept on repeating to himself, till at last he went away He was far too excited to talk of anything else, or to listen either

Later on in the evening, ere sent for to coreat trouble ofto hie thing to tell us--that that very ht he was quite awake), and looking at a little picture of the crucifixion which was hanging over the fireplace While doing so he saw as plainly as possible so the ainst the wall, evidently for the purpose of re this picture from its place He watched them intently, and noticed that they seemed much troubled and perplexed as to how they were to accomplish their task: Some of the imps put their shoulders to the under side of the frame, while others went up the ladder; one, in particular, et the cord off the nail, but without success Enraged at this, they made various other atteave up in despair, if not so worse; for by this tiround, as if it were the fault of it, and not of thee and disappointment, they passed off the scene

Presently the bedrooht, and who should present hiiven to a Dissenting preacher in the village, as a portly man, and alent about with a thick umbrella under his ar at the door He said to his visitor, ”What do you want here?” The phantom pointed to the picture over theway, ”Now or never! Do you hear, nant at this untione; but, for all that, he still stood at the door, and said, ”Now or never!--now or never!” He got out of bed, and went towards the door, but the figure disappeared, saying, ”Now or never!--now or never!”

Then he got into bed again, and all was still for a little while, when suddenly the door opened a second time, and the vicar appeared, just as Paul Pry had done, and came towards the bed, as if with a friendly and affectionate concern for his welfare, and said, ”My dear fellow, be persuaded it is 'now or never!'” Then, taking a seat at the corner of the bed, with his back leaning against the post, he went on talking, and saying, again and again, ”Now or never!”

The poor churchwarden re visited in this ht it very hard; but the vicar sat there, and persistently, said, ”Now or never!” He becao out of the room immediately; but the vicar said, ”Now or never!”

”I will 'now' you,” he said, ”if you do not be off;” and so saying he rose up in his bed; while the vicar glided to the door, repeating, ”Now or never!” and went away The poor reat distress of mind, turned to his wife, and asked her what could be the

Then, who should cohts, no doubt, but kept the into the room, as the vicar had done, sat on the saainst the same post, and in 'the quietest way possible repeated the same words, ”Now or never!”

”Do you hear him?” said the poor distracted man to his wife--”do you hear him?”