The Sun of Righteousness shone not above its horizon; the rose of Sharon bloomed not in its vales; the people were in a state of the most dreary mental darkness: children and adults, alike illiterate and untaught, lived in the grossest ignorance and died 'without hope.'

"The parish church being situated at a considerable distance from the dwellings of the villagers, (nearly two miles,) if the sound of the Sabbath-bell was ever wafted upon the breeze, it passed unheeded, and unhailed. The sacred day was profaned by unhallowed amusements, and vice and profligacy held a triumphant reign. The hard-earned wages of the peasantry were spent in the public-house-the little tavern of the place; and there did they drown the reproaches of conscience and the convictions of reason. There was that holy name, at which seraphs tremble and adøre, lightly blasphemed, and used, alas! but to give a more horrid emphasis to the drunkard's muttered curse. In fact, the strongest language that could have been employed would have served but faintly to delineate the degraded state of these cottagers; ignorant of even the first rudiments of human learning; ignorant of them

selves as sinners, and of the way of salvation by a Redeemer, they were willing slaves of sin, and led captive by Satan at his will.

"In this enlightened land, such ignorance might have been deemed incredible, did not our own experience convince us of its truth. Alas! it is too certain that, in a religious regard, many of the spots where nature has been lavish of her loveliest bounties are but 'dark places of the earth.' The account I have here given, we received from the lips of one deeply interested in the important-the delightful change which has been made; for happily this night of mental gloom is fast receding before the glorious light of the Gospel. The zealous though humble efforts of a Sabbath School teacher have produced the best effects. The formation of a Sunday School has led to the introduction of a preached Gospel, and thus both old and young are instructed to look unto Jesus; bad habits are fast giving way; and, instead of thronging to the ale house, these very people are now pressing forward to hear the word of God. They now know themselves to be creatures who are destined for immortality, and many of them are inquiring what they must do to be

saved.'

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What a different scene does the Sabbath now present to the admiring eye of the Christian. The youth are seen hastening with delighted hearts, and willing feet, to meet their instructer, that they may learn from him those lessons of divine wisdom which are fitted to direct their steps along the path of life. time allotted for school instruction being over, the bell is sounded, and the villagers assemble to hear the word of God. The neat and simple edifice, erected by the bounty of the benev-. olent for this twofold purpose, is filled; and those persons whose feet had never stood within the sanctuary, and to whom the worship of the living God was altogether as much unknown as it would have been in the days of their forefathers, who were formerly heard in loud vociferation imprecating curses, and calling down the divine vengeance upon their heads, are now weekly imploring blessings, or chanting in 'rustic harmony' the praises of their Redeemer.

"O how animating was the scene we witnessed! Mr. Stanley kindly accompanied me to visit the school, and afterwards attended divine worship in the same place. The service was

performed by one of the neighbouring ministers. The solemnity of his address, and the fervency of his prayers, seemed to penetrate my very heart; surely thought I, 'God is verily in this place.' To add to the interest of this scene, soon after the service began, a company of gipsies entered, and took the seats to which they were directed, with the utmost quietness and decorum; excepting one, a very aged woman, who stood in the door-way, though as divine service proceeded, getting more and more interested, she stepped a little further and further by degrees, till she was entirely within the building. The movements of this woman caught my eye, without in any way lessening the effects of the preacher's discourse; for I could not but observe with delight the interest with which she listened to subjects so important, and whose importance I saw, as it were, reflected in her countenance, but of which she and her companions evidently never heard before. This, it is probable, was the first time they had ever bowed the knee before the throne of the Eternal, or sought for mercy and salvation through the only way in which these are to be obtained. Several of the elders of this family

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were advancing rapidly towards the end of their mortal pilgrimage: though still hale and robust, the frost of age had silvered their locks, and their dark eyes had lost much of their youthful fire. I was greatly astonished at the sight of these roving plunderers; and my astonishment was not lessened to find them sit with so much stillness and decorum; their bronzed countenances lighted up with a sort of reverential awe, as if they were conscious they were in the presence of some spiritual intelligence, who was taking cognizance of their conduct: and this, you know, though really the case, must, from their state of ignorance, have been an idea never before impressed with any sort of clearness upon their minds it now appeared to come over their spirits with all its certainty and importance, and they seemed individually to feel, Thou, God, seest me.'

"After the devotional duties were over, these people retired in the same orderly and quiet way in which they had entered. The phenomenon of their appearance was then accounted for. The Sabbath School teacher, whose residence is at the distance of six miles from this place, coming from thence at an early