e you can remember, my admiration
of these things must appear strangely ignorant. But I was a lonely
young creature, that had been brought up in remote places, where there
was neither church nor churchgoing inhabitants. I have since lived in
great towns, and seen the ways of churches and of worship, and I am
old enough now to distinguish between what is essential in religion,
and what is merely formal or ornamental.

When my father had done pointing out to me the things most worthy of
notice about the church, the service was almost ready to begin; the
parishioners had most of them entered, and taken their seats; and we
were shewn into a pew where my mother was already seated. Soon after
the clergyman entered, and the organ began to play what is called
the voluntary. I had never seen so many people assembled before. At
first I thought that all eyes were upon me, and that because I was
a stranger. I was terribly ashamed and confused at first; but my
mother helped me to find out the places in the Prayer-book, and
being busy about that, took off some of my painful apprehensions. I
was no stranger to the order of the service, having often read in a
Prayer-book at home; but my thoughts being confused, it puzzled me a
little to find out the responses and other things, which I thought I
knew so well; but I went through it tolerably well. One thing which
has often troubled me since, is, that I am afraid I was too full of
myself, and of thinking how happy I was, and what a privilege it was
for one that was so young, to join in the service with so many grown
people, so that I did not attend enough to the instruction which I
might have received. I remember, I foolishly applied every thing that
was said to myself, so as it could mean nobody but myself, I was so
full of my own thoughts. All that assembly of people, seemed to me as
if they were come together only to shew me the way of a church. Not
but I received some very affecting impressions from some things which
I heard that day; but the standing up and the sitting down of the
people; the organ; the singing;--the way of all these things took up
more of my attention than was proper; or I thought it did. I believe
I behaved better and was more serious when I went a second time, and
a third time; for now we went as a regular thing every Sunday, and
continued to do so, till, by a still further change for the better in
my father's circumstances, we removed to London. Oh! it was a happ