om, where were two females;
one was an elderly person, the wife of the old man,--the other was a
young woman of very prepossessing appearance (hang not down thy head,
Winifred), who I soon found was a distant relation of the old man,--both
received me with great kindness, the old man having doubtless previously
told them who I was.

'I stayed several days in the good man's house. I had still the greater
portion of a small sum which I happened to have about me when I departed
on my dolorous wandering, and with this I purchased clothes, and altered
my appearance considerably. On the evening of the second day my friend
said, "I am going to preach, perhaps you will come and hear me." I
consented, and we all went, not to a church, but to the large building
next the house; for the old man, though a clergyman, was not of the
established persuasion, and there the old man mounted a pulpit, and began
to preach. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden," etc.
etc., was his text. His sermon was long, but I still bear the greater
portion of it in my mind.

'The substance of it was that Jesus was at all times ready to take upon
Himself the burden of our sins, provided we came to Him with a humble and
contrite spirit, and begged His help. This doctrine was new to me; I had
often been at church, but had never heard it preached before, at least so
distinctly. When he said that all men might be saved, I shook, for I
expected he would add, all except those who had committed the mysterious
sin; but no, all men were to be saved who with a humble and contrite
spirit would come to Jesus, cast themselves at the foot of His cross, and
accept pardon through the merits of His blood-shedding alone. "Therefore,
my friends," said he, in conclusion, "despair not--however guilty you may
be, despair not--however desperate your condition may seem," said he,
fixing his eyes upon me, "despair not. There is nothing more foolish and
more wicked than despair; over-weening confidence is not more foolish
than despair; both are the favourite weapons of the enemy of souls."

'This discourse gave rise in my mind to no slight perplexity. I had read
in the Scriptures that he who committeth a certain sin shall never be
forgiven, and that there is no hope for him either in this world or the
next. And here was a man, a good man certainly, and one who, of
necessity, was thoroughly acquainted with the Scriptures, who told me
that any one might