roundness and her face its lovely contour. Her eyes were as bright and her lips as fresh as ever, but the delicate bloom which before her long illness had always tinged her cheeks had faded forever, except when momentarily recalled by some transient excitement. Also, the sparkling joyousness of her countenance in early girlhood had given place to a sweet serenity, which at times deepened to a wistful sadness. This change of expression, with the change in the style of wearing her hair, the bright curls being now turned in a shining coil low in her neck, made her look older than she had done two years ago, but not less attractive. "A little less beautiful, perhaps, but lovelier than ever," had been Herbert's mental comment on the evening of her return; and this was also the verdict of many at Beulah that day.

Nora had rightly surmised that Herbert's conception of the sacredness of the theme of his discourse and the solemnity of the occasion, would enable him to rise above all thoughts of self, and so give him full command of his mental powers. There was a slight flush on his cheek when he arose, and in the opening sentence, his utterance was not perfectly distinct; but his embarrassment was momentary. With perfect self command he went through the opening services, then announced his text: "The blood of Jesus Christ, His son, cleanseth from all sin.”

Nora knew that his text had been suggested by his conversation with Mrs. Bratton and by the examination of Russell's Bible; and before Herbert had proceeded very far with its discussion, she felt sure that his present discourse was intended as a memorial sermon of his unfortunate friend. This conviction greatly deepened her interest in it, and fully accounted to her for the impassioned earnestness with which he depicted the "exceeding sinfulness of sin," its exceeding hurtfulness to man, the misery and ruin it entails, and the great necessity of mankind for a remedy against this great evil. And as with earnest tenderness, lively hope and holy joy he presented this remedy, she felt as she had never done before the preciousness of the atonement, and with renewed fervor consecrated her life to the service of "Him who hath loved us and given himself for us."

Some of Herbert's remarks were interpreted by even the most obtuse · to refer to the startling tragedy, which two years ago had so shocked the whole community. When defining and denouncing sin he said,

"Men go on from day to day and year to year in the habitual indulgence and practice of sin, without any compunction whatever, without realizing its heinousness and the danger of dallying with it, until suddenly some unfortunate brother, led on almost insensibly by the impulses that indulgence has fostered to a strength beyond the power of his feeble will to combat, overleaps the barrier reared by the civil law for the protection of society, and commits a startling and terrible crime. The respectable citizen of to-day becomes the felon of to-morrow. The civil law, which in all Christendom is founded upon the law of God-that beneficent protector which has secured to him his most precious rights, guarding with sleeping vigilance his life and property-that outraged law turns against the luckless infractor, and becomes his formidable and relentless prosecutor. Its avenging sword falls upon the murderer, the adulterer or the thief; and on the gallows or in the penitentiary his crime is expiated.

66 How fearful a thing is this!-a human life suddenly cut off, or prolonged in wearisome and miserable captivity-a family disgraced and ruined—a mother, wife and sisters heart-broken-descendants and relations bearing to remote generations the shame and mortification of one

man's foul deed! Yes, we all recognize the enormity of crime, and recoil from it in shuddering horror. But what is crime but sin full-grown? The propensities that lead to its commission have an inception, a growth and development. They do not, at the terrible moment of the man's fall, spring into existence full-grown and fully armed, like Minerva from the head of Jupiter. They might have been curbed, combatted, subdued. Let us remember that when we give the rein to our carnal passions, we are rushing to a bottomless abyss of horror; that while we foster our besetting sin, whatever it may be, we are nursing in our bosoms a serpent that at any moment may turn and slay us.

"Thanks to the restraints of the law, thanks to the beneficent influences of the gospel, and thanks to the prayers of the righteous Lots in every modern Sodom, but a small number of our race fall into crime. To but a few does the overpowering temptation come in the fatal moment of weakAnd so, in the eyes of their fellow creatures, the lives of most men, though marred by many a laxity, appear decently exemplary, so low is the moral standard of a sin-blinded world.

ness.

"But "The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.' The pure eyes of the Omniscient One see beyond a man's acts, even into the very thoughts of his heart. In the unregenerate soul, where sin is not only unresisted but cherished, he sees a perennial fountain of pollution, poisoning the whole life. The decree of the highest wisdom and justice is that 'He who hateth his brother is a murderer;' 'whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery in his heart;' he who covets his neighbor's goods is in heart a thief, since without covetousness there would be no theft. You, then, my respectable fellow citizen, living in the habitual indulgence of sin, yet keeping within the pale of the civil law, and even within the bounds prescribed by decent society, you who look with such contempt and horror upon the convicted criminal, remember that in the pure eyes of the heart-searching God you are as much condemned as the felon is in yours.

"Judged by this high standard of immaculate justice and purity, which of us could stand upon his own merits? Not one-'there is none righteous-no, not one.' The very thought of our unworthiness is enough to cover us with shame and confusion; the very contemplation of our danger, enough to plunge us into despair. Yet how insensible are we to both! For alas! mankind in a state of nature is 'dead in trespasses and sins.' But by the spirit of God we may be quickened into a higher and purer spiritual life. And in the throes of that new birth, we get our first adequate conception of the 'exceeding sinfulness of sin,' of our own guilt and pollution, of our misery and danger, and of our utter inability to throw off the yoke of sin or to make atonement for our past transgressions. Then how inexpressibly precious is the assurance that 'The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.' Yes, he hath suffered for our transgressions, and borne our sins in his own body. He, 'the Lamb of God without spot or blemish,' has made atonement for the sins of the world; and he freely offers salvation to all, proclaiming through his ministers, 'He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out, and promising to the repentant sinner, 'Though thy sins be as scarlet they shall be whiter than snow.'

"And not only in the hour of regeneration, but all through our Christian course do we cling to this blest assurance of the merits of Christ. For the thief within the prison walls, the murderer on the gal

6

lows, scarcely need that atoning blood more than we, so far do our imperfect lives fall short of the glory of God. When we believe we have passed from death unto life, and are trying to walk in newness of life, having before us the divine injunction, 'Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect,' and striving to follow the footsteps of the Immaculate One who was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, finding continually that when we would do good evil is present with us,' and falling, as we often do, before the combined powers of the world, the flesh and the devil, we must give up in despair could we claim no higher merit than our own. But we are strengthened and encouraged to maintain the conflict, knowing that though 'All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,' yet 'the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

The services concluded with the singing of "Rock of Ages," after which the congregation was dismissed, and Herbert withdrew from the church. Then the session presided over a congregational meeting, which unanimously elected Herbert to the pastorate of Beulah and Horeb.

The Lindsays were stopped on the way to their carriage by Messrs. Barron and Colgrave, who were anxious to express to Herbert's relatives their sincere approbation of the pastor elect.

Said Mr. Barron, "I must congratulate you, Mr. Lindsay, on the decided success of your nephew in this his first pulpit effort in our midst. His sermon to-day did infinite credit to a tyro. If he goes on as he has begun, I have no doubt he will attain to a high position in the church. We are most fortunate in securing his services."

"I have always admired Mr. Herbert Lindsay's manners, and entertained a flattering opinion of his abilities," said Mr. Colgrave; "and so my expectations on the present occasion were very high; but they have been fully realized. He is a natural orator, and I have no doubt will prove another Samuel Davies."

These brethren were just turning off, when Mr. Dervitt came shuffling up, turning up his coat collar to protect his throat, and sucking a lozenge.

67 Upon my soul," he said, "Herbert astonished us all to-day. I couldn't have believed that such a shy fellow could have done so well on a first occasion-not at all embarrassed-has a pleasant voice, too, and a graceful manner-nothing abrupt or boisterous in his style. What I liked best in Brother Dana was his quietness-nothing exciting in his preaching. I hope Herbert will copy him, for I can't bear excitement. In my health, my nerves can't stand it."

When Mr. Dervitt had taken leave of them, and the carriage was driving off, Mr. Eaton, who had been shaking hands with all the poor people he knew and being introduced to those he did not know, called to the coachman to stop, and hurrying forward addressed Mr. Lindsay,

"I could not let you go away without telling you how pleased I am with your nephew's preaching, and how delighted I am at the prospect of his being our pastor. I like his style so much—such simplicity and fervor. He evidently believes all he says, and feels it-ay, feels it and means it. That's my idea of successful preaching, after all. His manner in the pulpit could not be improved."

"I'll tell you what his pulpit manner reminds me of, Mr. Eaton," said Nora, "some lines of Cowper to which Herbert himself first directed my attention several years ago:

"Would I describe a preacher, such as Paul
Were he on earth, would hear, approve and own,
Paul should himself direct me. I would trace
His master strokes, and draw from his design;
I would express him simple, grave, sincere ;
In doctrine uncorrupt, in language plain,
And plain in manner; decent, solemn, chaste,
And natural in gesture; much impressed,
Himself, as conscious of his awful charge,
And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds
May feel it, too; affectionate in look
And tender in address, as well becomes
A messenger of grace to guilty men."

"A fine description, Miss Nora, and very applicable to Mr. Herbert Lindsay; but I'll tell you what I was reminded of while listening to him to-day. You remember when Peter and John were brought before the high priest and elders, and called upon to state by what power they had healed the lame man at the gate Beautiful, that as they proclaimed salvation through Christ, the hearers, 'took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.'"'

CHAPTER XIII.

Tom Harrison's shaft had struck very near the mark when he styled Herbert's charge a modern Sardis. Although this church had long been established in the community, and there was a good deal of wealth among its members, its growth had always been slow, and under Mr. Dana's pastorage had ceased entirely.

In the beginning, this gentleman had been recommended to them by his amiable character, blameless life and his influential family connections, his grand-father, father and several uncles having been distinguished divines. Although his mind had no force or originality, it possessed a sort of receptive faculty which enabled him to imbibe sufficient knowledge to win him some reputation as a scholar; and as there are not many people astute enough to recognize a fool under a decent clothing of erudition, not many of his people suspected his mental deficiency. When, as it often happened, they could make nothing of his long-winded rambling discourses, they modestly took the blame to themselves, charging their own shallow understandings with inability to sound the profound depths of such abstruse speculations.

It is true that a certain school-master had complained of the intricacy and obscurity of his interminable periods, and charged that sometimes his ostensible subjects were without predicates and his predicates without any recognizable subjects; but this cavilling was set down to pedantry, that notorious failing of pedagogues. Besides, who but a school-master was expected to know anything about subjects and predicates?

And it was Mr. Dana's good fortune, before he had been long enough at Beulah and Horeb for the development and improvement his people were expecting in him from his own youth and illustrious ancestry, to marry a niece of Mr. Barron's, who was the first cousin to Mrs. Colgrave. This marriage, of course, allied him closely to his people, especially as his wife, who was somewhat his senior, was both clever and popular. The intelligence and tact, as well as the agreeable manners and superior character of his wife, had done much towards reconciling the people to her husband's unprofitable ministry; and so matters had gone on from year to year until his pastorate had reached its fifteenth year.

Then, in spite of an illustrious ancestry, a clever wife and indulgent people, he was removed. He had received a call, not to bore another congregation with dry, dull, doctrinal discourses and plunge another community into spiritual stagnation, but to answer at the bar of God for feeding hungry souls with the husk and chaff of theological speculation, rather than the living bread of the Father's love, the Son's atonement, and the beauty and blessing of a holy life.

Such a charge as that of Mr. Dana's successor was necessarily a difficult one, especially for an inexperienced pastor. But although Herbert lacked experience, he brought to the work a degree of zeal and devotion