Part 25 (2/2)

(John 20:23)

The disciples (some of thee, never understood that they were by these words ( priests Even the very apostles never knew that they had any such power; and it is certain they never exercised it They were perfectly innocent of being priests after the Ro a propitiatory sacrifice

They simply believed that Christ had completed the work of propitiation once for all; and that there is now no ive sins Therefore in the words of St John we are told, that ”if any man sin (apostles and people alike), we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:1, 2)

The apostles and early Christians never understood that the power of the keys meant the exercise of mere priestly authority, neither was the doctrine known for several centuries after their time; therefore we may be sure that the peace which perverts have, if it professes to come from that source, is a delusion No true reiven, but by direct and personal transaction with Christ Himself

I am perfectly convinced that the Epistles to the Romans and the Galatians are the answer to all the pretences of the Church of Rome, and that a man ill not read and follow them deserves to be misled God is perfectly justified and clear on this point

During that winter six of my friends joined the Church of Rorief and disappointed pertinacity, set hi very h he used once to be happy in the Lord's work The others, without exception, went back into the world, and made no secret of their conformity with it, its ways, and fashi+ons

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This was a time of trouble in reat discredit upon the work, and especially on the effort to proher Church life I foundfor God, and therefore went out on mission henever and wherever I could

Early in the spring of this year I went on a mission to Worcestershi+re, and there the Lord vouchsafed a great blessing, which has rieve to say the present vicar has no sympathy with it The work is still carried on in an Iron Rooo to church

The vicar of that tio and visit a farmer's wife, as under deep conviction, and wished to see me I did so, and as we approached the door (which was open) the first thing we heard was this individual saying, in a very high-pitched: voice, ”Confound”

Seeing us, she suddenly stopped ”Go on with your text,” said the vicar, quietly, ”'Confounded be all they that serve graven ies;' is that what you mean?”

”No,” she replied; ”come in, I am so wretched that I don't knohat to do with myself; it has made me cross Do come in and pray withher to Jesus, she found peace Not content with praising God alone, she opened her house for asituated on the confines of the parish, brought us into collision with the rector of the next parish He was(as he said), ”to entice his people away”

I triedwould do, particularly when he heard that I was thinking of settling down in the district This plan was however frustrated in an unexpected manner, and I was not per about the matter, a letter was put intothe Lord for nearly six ht be appointed to her late husband's church She had applied to Lord Palh she had received no answer, yet she had continued to pray

At last there ca for having delayed his reply, adding that he ”had e him with the name and address of this person, the appointave my name and address, and sent his letter on tothat I had not applied for the living, nor did I want it; but, for all that, I received by return post the noo back to the diocese of Exeter! I did not think the Bishop would institute ularities since his lordshi+p had taken off o to this living, but was put into it in spite of arden, and church, provided for me, with so much a year I wondered whether God was tired ofthe past year wondrously, and I began to like ”living by faith,” and trusting in Hiether in accordance with God's will Anyway, I had very little success or liberty in preaching, and could not settle down to ith any energy

In the beginning of the summer, as usual, I had my attack of hay fever, which corass If I went to a town or the sea-side, it ell; but the ether, it was a dull and distressing ti me for a special work

CHAPTER 31

Hayle, 1857-58

Whilewhat I was to do next, I received an invitation to take charge of a district in another part of the county, near the sea, which suited ave scope for energetic action; and, moreover, the people were careless and Godless, and, as such, were not preoccupied with other systein to preach, and go on to prove the power of the Gospel

With the invitation, I received an exaggerated account of the wickedness of the people, and was told that the thinking part of them leant towards infidelity, and that soether in an infidel club All this, however, did not deter , but rather stirred antic foe I had learned before now to regard all difficulties in ht be greater than I could surreat for Hie iron factories here, besides shi+pping Many of the people eland, and hat the Cornish call ”foreigners” They had no love for chapel services, or revivals, and no sy a church to go to, they were left pretty much to theave upand work in the country, and accepted the curacy at l 120 a year, with a house rent-free My rector was a dry Churchet any one to coeable, set He had bought a chapel from the Primitive Methodists for Divine service, and had erected schools for upwards of three hundred children These he offered uarantee, that if I succeeded, he would build me a church, and endoith all the tithes of that portion of the parish

Here was a field of labour which required etic action In accordance with Scriptural teaching, ”I deter but Jesus Christ and Hiin by having temperance addresses for drunkards, or lectures on the Evidences of Christianity for the infidel, but si the Gospel