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had made a great profession of religion, and John concluded, very unreasonably, that all religious people were like him. John had been married, and whether the fault lay with him or his wife I cannot say, but his marriage had not been a happy one. When his wife died, she left him with a son about twelve years of age. I do not think the home could have been a very cheerful one, and the lad sought his own companions, who, unfortunately, were not of the best kind. After a series of misunderstandings and conflicts between father and son, the youth went off, John did not know whither, and for more than ten years he had heard nothing of him. The heart must have some solace; and John, thrown back upon himself, devoted all his thoughts and energies to his business and to money-getting; and he had succeeded. Although, after his failure, he had begun the world again with nothing, he was in such a position that he could at any moment retire from business and live comfortably. Still he toiled on.

"You work hard, Mr. Paulin," I said. "I hear of your being here and there, in the way of business, all round about and now, late as it is, I find you at work."

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"Well, yes, sir," he replied; one must be doing."

"Doing!" I thought to myself, as I looked, first at the man himself and then at the miserable room in which he was seated, and which was all he had to call a home: “but I wonder what for?" I knew many a poor working-man, with little more than a pound a week of wages, and with a family to support out of it, who had really more enjoyment of life. May I ask, Mr. Paulin," I said, why you stick so closely to your business at your time of life? Do you never think of resting a little ?"

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Well, Mr. Leighton," he replied, "it might take a little bit of time to answer your question. For one thing, I like some part of my business very well-the pictures, and curiosities, and such like. There's room for a bit of judgment and taste about them, you know. I have always had a notion, too, that I should like to make a certain round sum

to retire on comfortably in my old age; and I haven't made it yet. Besides, I don't mind saying it to you, Mr. Leighton, I have had my troubles in my time, and when I have plenty to do I forget them.”

"It would not be an impertinent question, Mr. Paulin, would it," I said, " if I were to ask how old you are?" "Not a bit of it," he replied, with a laugh. "It's only old maids who make any secret of their age. I don't care who knows how old I am. I shall be fifty-eight, if I live till the middle of next month."

"And how soon do you think of giving up and retiring, Mr. Paulin ?" I asked. "Next birthday ?"

"Next birthday!" he exclaimed. "Well, hardly that. My business would take some winding-up, and I have not thought about it yet. It will be soon enough to think about it six or seven years hence."

"And then," I said, "you will be sixty-four or sixty-five. Now I should like to ask another question, How long do you expect to live ?"

"I hardly know," he replied. "I've a fair constitution, however, and I think I might hope at least to see the other side of seventy."

"Supposing you do, Mr. Paulin," I said-" although life is very uncertain, and you may be gone even before you are sixty-but suppose you were to have even eight or ten years' enjoyment of your rest after retiring, do you think it worth toiling all your life till then for, to the exclusion of everything else?"

"It would be a nice thing, anyhow," he replied, “to feel dependent on nobody, and to be comfortable and happy." "I don't deny that, Mr. Paulin," I said; "and I readily admit that everybody who has it in his power should make provision for his declining years. But if it be worth while doing that, is it not much more important that we should look a little further forward? There's a life beyond the longest life-don't you think we should make some preparation for that ?"

"That's what you preached about the other Sunday night, Mr. Leighton," he said.

"You mean," I replied, "from the text, 'Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth to everlasting life ?”

“Yes,” said he, "that's the text. I thought as you went on, 'Well, that's just you, John Paulin. You've been toiling and moiling all these years for a bit of bread—for that's about all you've had out of it; and whatever that other meat may be, you've had none of it yet.' I've been thinking a good deal about that sermon ever since, Mr. Leighton. But do you know, sir, I got so thinking about myself, and how hard I had worked for so little purpose, that I did not quite get into the latter part, about the meat which does not perish."

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Well," I replied, "if you will allow me, I shall be glad to tell you about that. It means salvation-the salvation we have through the death of the Lord Jesus Christthe forgiveness of our sins, a new heart, everlasting life, and heaven. We get it through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ; and He is willing to give it to you just now. You have lived a long time without thinking about these things; but it is not too late. Don't you think, however, Mr. Paulin, that it is high time to begin?"

"That it is," he replied.

"You talked about your trouble, Mr. Paulin," I continued, "and about the comfort there is in hard work. Now, I don't know whether to call that comfort or not. All it has done for you-though that is something-is to help you to forget your trials. But if you had only believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, you would have found real comfort. These words, you know, are Christ's, 'Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' There is no trouble which can ever befall us in which He will not give consolation. Oh, Mr. Paulin, if you would

only try Him!"

We talked a little longer, and then I took my leave.

I often went to see John Paulin, and he attended service very regularly. No hearer I ever had paid a closer attention to my ministry; and through God's great mercy, I had the pleasure of seeing him, "led by the Spirit," a true child of God.

It was wonderful to see the change which was wrought in his whole character. His reserve almost entirely melted away; he mingled a good deal in the society of Christian people, and evidently enjoyed it. And amongst all the members of our church there was not one who was more truly generous.

Not long after his conversion, he came to me, and said, "Mr. Leighton, my heart yearns after my son.

My Father in heaven has welcomed me back again to His heart, and I think I ought to find my son and welcome him. He did not behave very well; but I have thought a good deal lately that the fault was not all his."

There was some difficulty in finding the young man; and I must confess that I had many misgivings as to the kind of man he might prove when we did find him. After many inquiries, we ascertained that he was living in a town two hundred miles from Lowborough. What we heard was so far encouraging that we deemed it wise to send for him. He had found kind friends, and had married a sensible, worthy woman, who had often urged him, but in vain, to write to his father. "It was of no use," he said; "and he did not believe his father cared to see him again." However, he gladly accepted his father's invitation to go and see him; and now George Paulin lives at Lowborough. His father has set him up in business, and he is prospering. Father and son are excellent friends, and I have good reason to believe that they are united in the common hope of the great salvation.

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CHAPTER II.

EFORE closing this narrative, we must not omit a slight allusion to John Launder, one of Deryk Carver's fellow-prisoners; showing, as it does, the power of the Holy Spirit to enlighten, and to give boldness in a good cause to those who, although young in years, and unlearned, are yet sincere in their desire to be faithful in upholding the truth as it is revealed to them in the Bible.

John Launder of Godstone, in Surrey, was only twentyfive years of age when he was taken prisoner at Deryk Carver's house. He was a husbandman.

In the course of his examination before Bishop Bonner, he said that he had gone to Brighton on some business for his father, and that hearing that Deryk Carver “ was a man that did much favour the gospel, he did resort to his house and company, whom before that time he did never see or know; and by reason of that his resort he was apprehended. He further goes on to confess his belief that there is here on earth one whole and universal Church, whereof the members be dispersed through the world. . . . Also he doth confess and believe that in the sacrament, now called the sacrament of the altar, there is not really and truly contained, under the forms of bread and wine, the very natural body and blood of Christ in substance: but his belief and faith therein is as followeth, to wit, That when he doth receive the material bread and wine, he doth receive the same in a remembrance of Christ's death and passion, and so receiving it, he doth eat and drink Christ's body and blood by faith, and none other ways, as he believeth.

"And moreover he doth confess and say and believe, that the mass now used in the realm of England, or elsewhere in Christendom, is naught and abominable, and directly against God's Word and Catholic Church,' and that there is nothing said or used in it good and profitable.

1 The word Catholic here means Universal, and has no reference to the Roman Catholic Church.

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