Well, you cannot do better than have a prayermeeting there on the Thursday evenings."

"But," I replied, "it is within twenty yards of the church."

"Never mind that: people will come to the school who would not go to church. Besides, if you open your church, you must have the whole service, from 'Dearly beloved' to the end. Whereas, if you have it in the school, an extemporary prayer of your own will be sufficient before the lecture."

I ventured to urge that this plan seemed a little like that adopted by the dissenters; but he overruled my objection by observing, that if the dissenters had hit upon the taste of the people, we could not do better than take a leaf or two out of their book--fas est ab hoste doceri.

Here Mr. Flavel looked at his watch; and understanding it as a hint that the half-hour had expired, I took my leave, thanking him very sincerely for his advice; and on the strength of it, instead of opening the church for daily service, as I had intended, I gave notice for a Thursday lecture in the school-room; and instead of ranging, as I had been used to do, through the whole field of Scripture in search of subjects for my discourses, I confined myself chiefly to the doctrine of the atonement, justification by faith, and one or two others which are commonly designated as evangelical.

The consequence of these measures was, that having before been disconnected with any party in the Church, I now acquired the character of being an evangelical preacher. My church had been very well filled before, as churches generally will be when the

clergyman takes pains to do his duty, and has no natural deficiency; the only difference was that now a few dissenters came occasionally to the evening service. This pleased me; and I thought I had made converts. It did not occur to me that it was very possible I might have been going over to them, instead of them coming to me.

It rather took me by surprise, I confess, when one day, after I had begun my course of evangelical proceedings, a deputation of three of the leading dissenters in the neighborhood waited on me, with a request that I would be a subscriber to their new school. Their object, they said, was the same as mine to bring sinners to Christ; their doctrine was the same why should we not, then, mutually assist each other? I felt that I was acting rather inconsistently in refusing their request.

There was a large pew in Somerton church, which was never occupied, unless the rest were all full, when the sexton ventured to put those who could not find places into it. This pew belonged to one of the principal farmers, a dissenter, who lived at a distant part of the parish. Soon after I began my evangelical preaching, I was gratified by seeing this gentleman enter his pew. His visit was repeated several Sundays; and I had the satisfaction of hoping that I had gained a convert to the Church. However, it happened that one week in preparing my sermon, I found my text applicable to the subject of infant baptism, and accordingly I introduced a few remarks on the subject, thinking it might confirm my Baptist friend in his better views. On walking into the church, I had been glad to observe Mr. C driving up in his jaunting

car with rather a larger party than usual; and we exchanged very cordial salutations in passing. However, that was the last time I ever had the pleasure of seeing him or his friends in Somerton church. He did not come there, he said, to be preached at.

If clergymen preach dissenters' doctrine, dissenters will come to church when it suits their convenience. But once touch on their peculiar errors, and you see them no more. They come to judge, not to be judged.

The same causes which led to the desertion of my church by this gentleman drove away other of my dissenting admirers, and I was soon left to my old congregation; and even they were not quite so regular and attentive as they had been. They used to hear something worth hearing, they said, every Sunday; but now it was the same story over and over again. They did not know what was come to me. Not very long after my visit to Market Ashford, I received the following letter from my rector :

"DEAR MR. Leslie,

"When the engagement was entered into between us, by which you were appointed to the curacy of Somerton, I thought it had been distinctly understood, that no innovations were to be introduced into the parish without my express concurrence. I have often congratulated myself in having so zealous and excellent a substitute during my illness, and hoped that all things would have gone on satisfactorily; but I have heard with regret that you have recently established a week-day lecture at the school-room, of which I cannot approve; and therefore am obliged to request that it may be forthwith discontinued,

"I remain, dear Sir,

"Your faithful servant,

"JOHN ALWORTHY."

On the receipt of this letter I was a little indignant; but had the prudence not to send any answer that day. On the morrow, being cooler, I wrote a temperate letter, stating my objects, and motives of my conduct; and in reply received an equally temperate answer. Mr. Alworthy felt quite sure that I could have had no other motive than the good of the parish. It was to the means which I had taken that he objected, as inefficient for that purpose. If it had been a distant hamlet, where there were old people too infirm to go to church, he should not have objected to my expounding to them the Scripture in an unconsecrated building, supposing it impracticable to have one consecrated; but to open the school for divine service when the church was close by, appeared to him an unnecessary deviation from the practice, and, as he believed, from the positive directions, of the Church; and he considered it further objectionable, as accustoming church-people to the habits and methods of dissenters. The result was, that the week-day lecture was discontinued.

CHAPTER V.

See yonder preacher to his people pass,
Borne up and swell'd by tabernacle gas:
Much he discourses, and of various points,
All unconnected, void of limbs and joints;
He rails, persuades, explains, and moves the will,
By fierce bold words and strong mechanic skill.

CRABBE.

THE TEMPTING OFFER.

THE friendship which I had commenced with Mr. Flavel was not suffered by that zealous gentleman to die away. On the contrary, I was much flattered by the very evident anxiety which he showed to culti vate the confidential communication which had begun between us. When I told him of Mr. Alworthy's objection to the week-day lectures, he made very few remarks; merely shrugged his shoulders, and observed that we must make allowance for people's prejudices. Soon after, he did me the honor to come over and see my school; and though I was not able to avail myself of his advice in making any decided alteration in opposition to the wishes of my rector, and the understanding which subsisted between us, yet, in many minor particulars, which did not seem to come under the head of innovations, several improvements were introduced at the suggestion of Mr. Flavel. For instance, though I did not feel myself