Part 3 (1/2)

This orse than ever The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he broke out into triulories of Israel

Balak reether inaccessible

”If Balak would give o beyond the coood or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak”

This story greatly impressed me, and I date from it a distinct disinclination to tamper with myself, or to deliver what I had to deliver in phrases which, though they

About this time there was a movement in the town to obtain a better supply of water The soil was gravelly and full of cesspools, side by side hich were sunk the wells A publicwas held, and I attended and spoke on behalf of the scheme There was much opposition, mainly on the score that the rates would be increased, and on the Saturday after theletter appeared in the Sentinel, the local paper:

”Sir,--It is notabout the water-supply of this town, but I ion should interfere in politics

Sir, I cannot help thinking that if the said minister would devote hiressing from Immanuel's mount,' -

it would be much more harmonious with his function as a follower of hi save Christ crucified Sir, I have no wish to introduce controversial topics upon a subject like religion into your columns, which are allotted to a different line, but I must be permitted to observe that I fail to see how a ainst class Like the s in affliction of old, he should keep himself pure and unspotted froospel on the Sabbath fro about cesspools like any other ,to bind burdens--that is to say, rates and taxation--upon the shoulders of rievous to be borne

Surely, sir, a minister of the Lamb of God, as shed for the remission of sins, should be AGAINST burdens--I am sir, your obedient servant,

”A CHRISTIAN TRADESMAN”

I had not the least doubt as to the authorshi+p of this precious epistle Mr Snale's hand was apparent in every word He was fond of ious verses, and once ere co a hymn which he had composed The two lines of poetry were undoubtedly his Furtheroer all his life, he es fro for hi the end of one verse to the beginning of another Mr Snale, too, continually ”failed to see”

Where he got the phrase I do not know, but he liked it, and was always repeating it However, I had no external evidence that it was he as my ene by a speaker from the body of the hall whom I had never seen before He spoke remarkably well, was evidently educated, and I was rather curious about hio out for the whole of the day by the river, seawards, to prepare for the Sunday I was coainst a stile He bade , and then proceeded to thank s about it I asked who it was to who, and he told me he was Edward Gibbon Mardon ”It was Edward Gibson Mardon once, sir,” he said, sly ”Gibson was the na for me, but I disliked her, and never went near her I did not see why I should be ticketed with her label, and as Edward Gibson was very much like Edward Gibbon, the immortal author of the Decline and Fall, I dropped the 's'

and stuck in a 'b' I a but a compositor on the Sentinel, and Saturday afternoon, after the paper is out, is a holiday forto do, for I have to turn my attention to that occasionally”

Mr Edward Gibbon Mardon, I observed, was slightly built, rather short, and had scanty whiskers which developed into a little thicker tuft on his chin His eyes were pure blue, like the blue of the speedwell

They were not piercing, but perfectly transparent, indicative of a character which, if it possessed no particular creative poould not permit self-deception They were not the eyes of a prophet, but of aalone and saying he believed it His lips were thin, but not co there was in his face a perfectly legible frankness, contrasting pleasantly with the doubtfulness of ratitude to him for his kind opinion, and as we loitered he said:

”Sorry to see that attack upon you in the Sentinel I suppose you are aware it was Snale's Everybody could tell that who knows the man”

”If it is Mr Snale's, I am very sorry”

”It is Snale's He is a contemptible cur and yet it is not his fault

He has heard sermons about all sorts of supernatural subjects for thirty years, and he has never once been warned against meanness, so of course he supposes that supernatural subjects are everything and er now, for you are busy Good-night, sir”

This was rather abrupt and disappointing However, I was h I despised Snale, his letter was the beginning of a great trouble tofor many months, and had er or two visited the chapel, and hat eager eyes did I not watch for them on the next Sunday, but none of the to h I knew that self to be--and yet make so little impression Not oneI had said or done, and not a soul kindled at any word of ed How I groaned over my incapacity to stir in hts or care for the at the history of those days now fro assust those ere exceptionally hard and worldly, but I was seeking aht to have sought with God alone In other, and perhaps plainer phrase, I was expecting from men a sympathy which proceeds from the Invisible only So-postponed justice of ti less than a consciousness of approval by the Unseen, a peace unspeakable, which is bestowed on us when self is suppressed