embarrassing thought was that members
of the congregation were to be present in the morning, as well as the
afternoon. If I made a mistake or failure under the severe scrutiny of
the Ecclesiastical Court, I would ever after be at a great disadvantage
in preaching to those good people.

It so happened, however, that the Classis, as the body of clergy were
called, was made up mostly of genial, consecrated persons, and no honest
young man would suffer anything at their hands. Although I was
exceedingly nervous, and did not do myself justice, and no doubt
appeared to know less than I really did know, all went well until a
clergyman, to whom I shall give the fictitious name of "Dr. Hardman,"
took me in hand. This "Dr. Hardman" had a dislike for me. He had once
wanted me to do something for him and take his advice in matters of a
pastoral settlement, which I had, for good reasons, declined to take. I
will not go further into the reasons of this man's antipathy, lest
someone should know whom I mean. One thing was certain to all present,
and that was his wish to defeat my installation as pastor of that
church, or make it to me a disagreeable experience.

As soon as he opened upon me a fire of interrogations, what little
spirit I had in me dropped. In the agitation I could not answer the
simplest questions. But he assailed me with puzzlers. He wanted to know,
among other things, if Christ's atonement availed for other worlds; to
which I replied that I did not know, as I had never studied theology in
any world but this. He hooked me with the horns of a dilemma. A Turkish
bath, with the thermometer up to 113, is cool compared to the
perspiration into which he threw me. At this point Rev. James W. Scott,
D.D. (that was his real name, and not fictitious) arose. Dr. Scott was a
Scotchman of about 65 years of age. He had been a classmate of the
remarkable Scottish poet, Robert Pollock. The Doctor was pastor of a
church at Newark, N.J. He was the impersonation of kindness, and
generosity, and helpfulness. The Gospel shone from every feature. I
never saw him under any circumstances without a smile on his face. He
had been on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the glory had never left
his countenance.

I calculate the value of the soul by its capacity for happiness. How
much joy it can get in this world--out of friendships, out of books, out
of clouds, out of the sea, out of flowers, out of ten thousand things!
Yet all the joy it has