vagance would end. This pouring cold water on my newly kindled zeal, produced a very unpleasant revulsion of feeling; but the habitual silence with which I usually received his orders-that in great measure, heretofore, proceeded from sullenness and pride-now prevented any expression of disappointment or petulance, and gave me time to put my newly-acquired motives of duty in action.

I remembered that my conscience had been awakened to the necessity of yielding a more affectionate obedience to my father. Instead, therefore, of walking sullenly away, to brood in silence over his harshness, I ventured respectfully to expostulate with him. I represented, with more of calmness, that I had heard nothing wild or fanatical, or subversive of order or decorum--that Mr. Wesley had stated he would sooner have preached in the church, had the minister allowed him, but, being prevented, he was obliged to address the people where he could; that he upheld the church and its doctrines, and exhorted his hearers to be constant in their attendance on the services and sacraments. This and much more I urged, in order to make my father relent in his prohibition; but I told him,

that I had determined to adhere to his decision, be it what it may, as I considered obedience to him was a part of that duty which I hoped, in future, in some degree to fulfil.

My dear mother looked surprised and delighted at my altered tone; she had long grieved in secret at the estrangement between us; for ever since my father had prevented my being apprenticed, I had felt a sort of resentment towards him, evidenced in no other manner than by coldness and reserve.

My mother now joined her entreaties to mine, that before he forbade my attending the meetings any more, he would go himself to hear Mr. Wesley, and judge whether, or not, there was any danger to be found from his doctrine. Being pleased with the alteration in my tone and manner, he consented that it should be so-and that he would attend the next preaching, at any convenient distance.

When left alone with my mother, I poured out to her the fulness of my heart. I told her of the deep impressions I had felt—of my happiness-of the change in the whole of my views and feelings. I was heard with intense interest; but she could

not understand, how in so short a time such a transition should have been brought about. I could not explain away the objection, but I was confident of the fact I felt as if there was a tangible reality in what I had acquired, that admitted of no questioning. I begged her to see Mr. Wesley, to talk to him on these subjects-above all, to pray for a demonstration to her spirit of the forgiveness and favour of God.

I said to her, "I know, dearest mother, you have long sought your happiness from higher and better sources than this world offers. I know you have feared, and wished to please, the great Author of your being; you have sought his fellowship and favour to you, and such as you, then, is this freedom of access offered-even by a simple trust in the great atoning sacrifice, you may realize God as your father and friend." I said more to this effect, that need not here be recapitulated. My mother was struck and interested-she acquiesced in my wish to see more of the man who had been the means of my thinking of these things-she blessed me that night with peculiar tenderness and energy, and we retired to our respective apartments.

CHAPTER VII.

6

"So long as the church is situated as it were upon a hill,' no man maketh question of it, or seeketh to depart from it; but when these virtues in the fathers and leaders of the church have lost their light, and that they wax worldly, lovers of themselves, and pleasers of men-then, men begin to grope for the church as in the dark." LORD BACON.

THE sun seemed to rise the next morning with brighter beams than had for many years cheered my awakening. I had lost none of the happiness I had felt the night before; and when reading the holy volume that morning in my quiet little chamber, a new and blessed light seemed poured upon its sacred pages. I wondered at my former blindness, at not then perceiving the simple truth, beauty, and poetry of the scriptures. My thirsty spirit seemed to drink of their living waters, and be satisfied.

In the evening of that day, having obtained my father's leave to that effect, I set out, to endeavour

at procuring an interview with Mr. Wesley. I was fortunate in finding him just returned from his evening's preaching. He recognized me at once, and in the kindest and most encouraging manner, after a little time, led me to open to him the whole of my short history.

He told me that my appearance and manner on the preceding evening had made him suppose that I was in a somewhat higher station of life than what I had just informed him was actually the case; he rejoiced with unfeigned joy at the impressions and convictions produced on my mind by his sermon— he exhorted, or rather entreated, that I would "hold fast that which I had received.”

He spoke of the state of the miners generally; he said, that from what he had both seen and heard, he concluded they were mostly very ignorant as well as depraved. He encouraged me to tell him what were my observations on the subject-he said that he longed to be the instrument of good to them-to awaken them to a sense of their spiritual wants-to christianize and thereby to civilize them-he said that there had been many among them who appeared deeply affected when