Christian affection, some taking him by the sleeve, and others by the skirts of his coat, some preceding and others following him.  But what was his surprise, on arriving at the house, to find an assembly of from sixty to eighty, who, with one voice, desired him to preach to them!  M. ——­ observed to them, that he was an unworthy layman, and totally unqualified for such a responsible duty, and the more so at that time, as his mind had been occupied in his secular business; and he felt the need of himself receiving instruction, instead of attempting to impart it to others.  But a chair had been placed for him in a suitable part of the room, and a small table, covered with a green cloth, placed before it, on which was laid the copy of the Bible which M. ——­ had, some months before, presented to the widow.  M. ——­ saw he could not avoid saying something to this importunate company, and looking to God for assistance and a blessing, took the chair which had been set for him, and resolved to attempt to draw from the Bible, for their benefit, such instruction and consolation as he might be enabled to impart.

To the eye of M. ——­ every thing gave beauty and solemnity to this unexpected scene.  The room into which he was conducted was filled with the villagers, all conveniently accommodated on benches.  A large door opened, in the rear of the house, and discovered the declivity of the mountain on which it stood, skirted also with listening auditors.  While, at a distance, the flocks and herds were peacefully feeding, the trees, covered with beautiful foliage, were waving in the breeze, and all nature seemed to be in harmony with those sacred emotions which so obviously pervaded this rural assembly.

After addressing the throne of grace, M. ——­ read a part of the fourth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.  He turned their attention more especially to that interesting passage in the twelfth verse:  “There is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.”  He endeavoured to point out to them the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the awful consequences of violating the law of God, the inefficacy of all those expedients which the ignorance, the pride, or the self-righteousness of men had substituted for the “only name,” Christ Jesus.  He spoke of the necessity of this great sacrifice on the cross, of the love of God in sending his Son into the world, of the fullness and all-sufficiency of the mighty redemption, and of the duty of sinners to accept it and live.  “It is through Christ alone,” said he, “that you can have hope of pardon and salvation.  You must take up the cross and follow Christ.  You must renounce your sins and flee to Christ.  You must renounce your own righteousness, and trust alone in Christ.  You must renounce all other lords, and submit to Christ.  If you had offended an earthly monarchy to whom you could have access only through his son, would you address yourselves to his servants, rather than his son?  And will you then, in the great concerns of your souls, go to any other than the Son?  Will you have recourse to the Virgin Mary, or some favoured servant, rather than address yourselves to Him who is ‘the way, and the truth, and the life?’ and when God himself assures us, that ’there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved?’”