Dryden," said Mr. Upright, "has beautifully paraphrased it"

The modest water, awed by power divine,

Confessed a God, and blushed itself to wine.'

"It is very beautiful indeed," said Miss Letts, Mrs. Upright's niece, "so comprehensive and so delicate.”

6

"How much is sometimes conveyed," said Clinton, "in a single sentence !" "Yes; a word spoken in due season, how good is it," said Mr. Upright; "how effectual to produce conviction or reclaim a sinner. I recollect a friend lately telling me a story of a clergyman residing in a country parish, who made it his practice to speak to his parishioners on all occasions something apt that might strike their minds. He was riding on horseback one day, through the fields, and overtook a parishioner who seldom attended the church. Why do you not come to church,' he said, ‘do you not think you are neglecting your duty? you cannot go to heaven in this state!' The man replied, with great coolness, I work hard all the week, and am glad to go to bed tired at night; I rest on the Sunday; I do nobody any harm, why should I be shut out of heaven?' My friend,' said the clergyman, my horse has as much religion as you. He does all this, for he works far harder than you; he is tired at night, and goes to sleep; he works all the week, and rests himself on the sabbath. Why should he be excluded from heaven, any more than you? The man was so struck with the clergyman's reply, that he went home, seriously thought upon the subject, was shocked at the idea that he had no more religion than a horse, and was determined to seek after a better religion, that might fit him for heaven; from that day he attended church regularly, and became a very sincere Christian."

"The same observation may be extended to the pulpit,” said Kempson; "I went the Sunday before last, with my

friends here to church, and heard Mr. Bligh preach. I never heard such an awful sermon in my life. His text was, Romans ix. 22, 23, What if God willing to show his wrath, and make his power to be known, endure, with much long-suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.'

"He drew a description of those characters which were fit for no place but hell, while he gave a shocking delineation of the vessels of wrath which were fitting for destruction, and pourtrayed the horrors of eternal misery, in language so strong, and in figures so expressive, that it made the ladies. in the pew where I sat start in their seats, and exclaim, God bless us!' as if their eyes had been struck with a flash of lightning, or their ears stunned with a clap of thunder! I think, were a person to hear him frequently, it would determine him to become religious!" "Ah!" said Mr. Upright, "no one can tell the importance of improving convictions of conscience! The Spirit of God strives with us all at times; it is our part to see that we quench not the holy flame of the Spirit's kindling; when he reasons with us, and prompts us to break off negligence and sin, and to devote ourselves to God, it is our duty 'not to grieve the Spirit,' but to listen with attention. to his suggestions, and to obey them. Upon doing this, your everlasting salvation may depend. If you' grieve the Holy Spirit,' he may depart offended with you-if you 'quench the Spirit,' the spark of pious resolve may be no more kindled. A man may sin away his convictions, and the influence of the Spirit may be withdrawn!"

"Ah!" said Kempson, when the party had walked away to their homes, "I believe the truth of what our tutor Upright advanced, I have been religiously educated; I have resolved and re-resolved, yet still remain the same,'

-as worldly, as light, as thoughtless as ever. May I not die the same ?" "

"Ever since I went with you, and heard Mr. Bligh, I have had strong convictions on my mind, and been on the point of taking up a resolution to burst the fetters of appetite and sloth which have so long bound me, and to consecrate myself to God. I went and heard him again last Sunday, and that resolution is now nearly adopted. Oh! I have so often began and left off to do well-so often resolved and broken my resolutions, that I fear all this feeling of religion will be as the other transitory emotions were, merely as the early dew,' which is quickly exhaled by the rising sun, or as the morning cloud which soon passeth away!' But oh! Charles, help me with your prayers, strengthen my resolution with your exhortations. I hope this new effort to devote myself to God may not be in vain ;" and then he added, with great emotion, and tears in his eyes,

If I ne'er find the sacred road,

I'll perish, crying out for God."

Charles animated his friend by every argument, confirmed his resolution by every motive, and encouraged his intended efforts by every promise he could bring.

The next day Kempson told him he had been reading Doddridge's" Rise and Progress," and he was determined to read nothing else except his Bible, till he had made a firm choice for life to serve his God, and devote himself to his Saviour, and save his soul; that all his anxiety was to obtain a sense of pardon, through his Redeemer's merits, and to be guided in the way of truth, and kept in the path of duty, with his heart supremely set on heavenly things; and he earnestly prayed that "he might endure to the end, and be eternally saved!"

His feelings were so strong, that in a few days he went

and introduced himself to Mr. Bligh, to whom he opened the state of his mind, expatiated on the effect produced by his sermons, and asked for his advice and prayers. By these he was much assisted, and this intercourse laid the foundation of a pleasing friendship betwixt them, which was a blessing to him for many years till his dying day, which was at an early period, after he had lived to preach that peace to the penitent which he had found through the blood of Jesus, and had seen the Lord crown his efforts in his vineyard with success, in sowing and cultivating the plants of righteousness. Kempson was a pleasant and intellectual companion, so that several of his gay college companions grieved over the change as likely to deprive them of his society. They invited him to their rooms, and entered into a regular explanation. Kempson frankly told them the state of his mind, and detailed the causes of his remarkable change of views, and shewed them the value of religion, and invited them to join him and the new companions, to whom he would introduce them. "Well," they said, " Kempson you shall not desert us ;— you shall still be our friend; we will have you amongst us; we promise to respect your principles and your conscience. We will listen to your arguments; and if we cannot turn you back again into the old way, do you try if you can to persuade us to join you in the new path, which you say is the only way to Heaven." He was made useful to many. When he returned, after the long vacation, he told Charles and his other friends, that he had many a strong contention with his quondam gay friends at Bath and Edinburgh, whither he had travelled; but that at length he was relieved from their attacks by a single observation made by a young captain, a good-natured friend. "Let him alone,” he said, "it is the point of honour among PARSONS to be religious ! We soldiers have many points of honour; why should not parsons too have their points of honour?”

CHAPTER XXXV.

A NEW ACQUAINTANCE, AND THE HISTORY OF an old friend: Or WESTAL, ELNUT, AND THE ETONIAN-AND NEverell.

THE next week, as Charles was pacing the quadrangle in the morning, behold, he met Mr. Westal, a gentleman of whom he had heard much through his friend Elnut, to whom he was so much attached before he left his native village, where Elnut had lodgings at Miss Clara's aunt's, and attended their common tutor, Mr. Ruby. Mr. Westal accosted Charles, and told him, that having been pointed out to him, he had come down on purpose to have some conversation with the friend of his late acquaintance, Elnut. "What is the matter, then," said Charles. Your late acquaintance, did you say? Is he not your acquaintance now?" "No," said he, "I do not know such a person!" "Wherefore ?" "He has left off to behave himself wisely. He has renewed his acquaintance with Lord Margood, entered into the gay world, put himself under his patronage, is running a course of levity and display at Cambridge, and travelling the high road to preferment in this world, and to degradation in the next." "Alas! alas!" said Charles; " but I cannot help hoping that Satan will be foiled at last. When