“the saying of the church service followed with the same calm solemnity and devotion with which it began. it was clear that the object of the priest was to forget himself, and lead the worshippers to forget him, in the high service in which both were engaged; and in this he fully succeeded. it was not till the worship prescribed by the church was ended, and the last amen had died on the ear, that a sensation of curiosity seemed to run through the assembly, and those without began to crowd nearer the door, as though something unusual was about to take place, and they were anxious to catch words less familiar to their ears than the well-known language of the prayer book. there was little preparation necessary for the sermon. the preacher did not leave his place to change his sacred vestments for a black gown, as is now the general fashion. his place of prayer was also his place of preaching. i should explain that what we call the reading-desk was placed in the north-east corner of the little chapel, having two ledges for his books, one looking to the south, and the other (which also formed the door) to the west. on the former rested the prayer book, and on the latter the bible; so that when he prayed, he naturally turned to the altar,—when he read the scriptures, towards the people. when he began to preach, therefore, he simply turned to the people as when he had read the lessons, resting his sermon on the bible—no bad foundation, you will say,” added the old man with a smile, “for a scriptural discourse! his text was a very short and simple one but had he sought the whole bible through, he could not have found one better adapted to my state of mind than the one he chose—my disposition being at that time, as i before observed, to take a somewhat gloomy and severe view of the gospel; it was ‘god is love.’ all my dark fears vanished at the p. 59sound; and i waited not to hear the reasons to be convinced that the essence of the gospel is indeed ‘glad tidings’ to mankind. there was an unwonted appearance of excitement about the preacher as he gave forth his text, and turned over the leaves of the manuscript which lay before him, looking first at it, and then at the crowd of upturned and expecting faces before him with an expression which i did not at first comprehend. he paused before he commenced his sermon, as if he could hardly read his own hand-writing, and yet nothing could be plainer or more distinct than his penmanship, even to the end of his days. at last he seemed to have made up his mind. he closed his sermon with a force which seemed to shew that he had come to a final determination, and deliberately put it into the pocket of his cassock; he then cleared his voice, paused for an instant, and commenced as follows. you will not expect me to remember every word of the discourse; indeed, perhaps you will be surprised that i should remember it at all; but the substance of it, and often the very words and looks of the preacher still cling to my memory, with a firmness of which nothing can deprive them but the coming grave!”