attan troubled himself to save him from deeper sin and longer misery?
There was no help for him, he thought, in his utter despondency.

As for Stephen, if his faith did not hold out for his friend now, no one
would have guessed it from his prayers, or from his words of
encouragement to Morely. According to him, it was the helpless and
hopeless sort that the Lord came to save. He had done it before; He
could do it again; and He would do it.

"I've been a sight deeper down in this pit than ever you've been yet.
But, down or up, it's all the same to Him that's got the pulling of you
out. There's no up nor down, nor far nor near, to Him. `O ye of little
faith, wherefore do ye doubt?' He's a-saying this to you now; and He's
a-saying, too, `This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.' But
_He_ drove that kind out by a word, just as He drove all the rest. Hang
onto His own word, John. He's said, time and again, that He'll save the
man that trusts in Him; and don't you let go of that. You've been
trying to be sober, and to get back your good name, for the wife's sake
and the babies. You would give all the world to know again how it feels
to be a free man. Just you give all that up. Seek to be the Lord's.
His grace is all-sufficient. His strength will be made perfect in your
weakness. If you're His, He'll keep you, and no mistake. Give all the
rest up, and hang on to the Lord in simple faith. You can never do this
thing of yourself; but the Lord'll give you the help of His grace, if
you ask Him. I _know_, because I've tried Him."

Whatever was said, it always ended thus: "You can do nothing of
yourself; but with the Lord's help you can do all things. Hold fast to
Him. Let your cry be, `Lord Jesus, save, or I perish.'"

Poor Morely listened, and tried to hope. If ever he was saved from the
power of his foe, the Lord must surely do it, he felt, for he could do
nothing; and, in a blind, weak way, he did strive to put his trust in
God.

When the time came that he was well enough to go away, Stephen would
fain have gone with him, to encourage him and stand by him till he could
get something to do. But this could not be. They lived by his daily
labour, and his business had been neglected of late, through his care
for his friend; and he could only write to a friend of his, praying him
to interest himself in Morely's behalf.

His letter, written out word for word, just as he sent it, would very
likely