nionship, or to make
confession of, and restitution for, some wrong done to others. An
Officer or Soldier accompanies the Penitent to his home or to his
employer, should such a course appear likely to help him to effect any
reconciliation, or take any other step to which his conscience calls
him. The names and addresses of all Penitents are recorded, so that they
may be afterwards visited and helped to carry out the promises they have
made to God.

For convenience' sake, in very large Meetings, such as those The General
himself held, where hundreds at a time come to the Penitent-Form, a room
called the Registration Room is used for the making of the necessary
inquiries and records. In this room those who decide to join The Army
have a small piece of ribbon of The Army's colours at once attached to
their coats. But this Registration Room must in no way be confused with
an "Inquiry Room," where seeking souls can go aside unseen. The General
was always extremely opposed to the use of any plan other than that of
the Penitent-Form, lest there should be any distinction made between one
class and another, or an easier path contrived for those who wish to
avoid a bold avowal of Christ.

And he always refused to allow any such use of the Bible in connexion
with Penitents as has been usual in Inquiry Rooms, where the people have
been taught that if they only believed the words of some text, all would
be well with them. The faith to which The General desired all who came
to the Penitent-Form to be led is not the mere belief of some statement,
but that confidence in God's faithfulness to all His promises, which
brings peace to the soul.

Nothing could be more unjust than the representation that by the use of
the Penitent-Form an attempt is made to work up excitement, or emotion.
Experience has proved, everywhere, that nothing tends so rapidly to
allay the painful anxiety of a soul, hesitating before the great
decision, as the opportunity to take at once, and publicly, a decisive
step. We often sing:--

Only a step, only a step,
Why not take it now?
Come, and thy sins confessing,
Thou shalt receive a blessing;
Do not reject the mercy
So freely offered thee.

But the Penitent-Form is no modern invention, nor can it be claimed as
the speciality of any set of religionists. Even heathen people in past
ages have provided similar opportunities for those who felt a special
need either to thank their God for