"He wor as big a rake as ony i' th' parish a few months sin'; I'd never
ha' thowt o' Abe Lockwood turning religious."

"No, nor me noather, but we niver know what 'll come to us."

"No,--gooid-noight."

One day Abe and a former companion of his met full in front; there was
no sliding away on either side,--they must speak. Both of them
experienced a slight nervousness at first, but Abe plucked up courage
and came boldly on.

"Naa, lad, haa art ta?"

"Oh, why, middling like, haa's yersen?"

"Aye, mun," said Abe, "it gets better and better, religion is th' best
thing i' th' world; it's made me th' happiest chap i' Berry Braa."

"Why, thaa looks merry," said his companion.

"I is merry, and only wish thaa wor like me," and then Abe went on in
his own simple, earnest, and homely manner to preach Jesus to his
friend; and before they parted, the man had proof enough that Abe had
found a better way of living than his former one.

Many a time, as weeks and months rolled by, he was thrown for a short
time into company with one or another of his old yoke-fellows in sin;
and often did they endeavour to lead him back again into the ways and
haunts he had forsaken; but no, no, he was not to be moved out of the
new path which he had taken for time and for eternity.

Abe was a very plain-spoken man, and sometimes used phrases which were
anything but refined, but this was compensated for by their good sense.
Sometimes, when Satan was tempting him to give up his religion, and
return again into the ways of sin, he would exclaim, "What! give up my
blessed religion and return to thy swill-tub agean; I should be a great
fooil to do that,--does th' want to mak' me like an owd saa (sow),
that's been weshed, and then runs back into t' muck agean; nay, thaa's
rolled me i' sin lang enough; I'm thankful to be aat o' thy mud-hoil,
and by the help of God, thaa'll get me there no maar." Then perhaps,
when in conversation with some unconverted neighbour on the
all-absorbing theme of religion, he would break out, "Aye, mun, yoa
doan't know haa grand it feels being weshed, weshed i' th' blood of th'
Lamb. I wor that mucky, all th' waiter i' Holmfirth dam couldn't mak'
me daacent, but a drop of His blood did it in a moment. Glory to God!"

Ah! the precious blood of Jesus can make the foulest clean; no matter
how long or how deep sin has reigned in his heart, Jesus is able to
remove it entirely, and bring in His grace and peace. He is a