Then comes the Lord’s Prayer, which leads us, at once, into the place of children, accepted in the Beloved:  then follow acts of thanksgiving":—­

“Open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.”

“Oh, come let us sing unto the Lord, let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.”

These, and such-like explanations, helped to enlist the interest of the people; and when, as before, they only used to endure the prayers, while waiting for the sermon, now they engaged in them intelligently, and even with more delight than in extempore prayer.

As to the Communion Service I bade them notice that it begins with the Lord’s Prayer, in which we draw near to our Father, not as sinners, but as His children; asking for a clean heart and for grace to live according to His will; then, we approach the table, unworthy, indeed, to take even the crumbs under it, but trusting in His mercy.  We do not go there to offer a sacrifice of Christ’s body, but of our own as a thanksgiving to God, offering and presenting ourselves—­spirit, soul, and body—­a living sacrifice to His service.

Every week we took some subject from the Prayer-book, noticing the special seasons in their order, such as Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, and Whitsuntide, each with their respective teaching.

I was now happy in my work; but it did not, of course, go on as sweetly as the theory sets it forth.  We made, however, as straight a course as we could, under contending winds and currents.  The intelligent part of my congregation, however interested they were in the work outside the church and the worship within, nevertheless, had their misgivings and doubts which they did not hide.  They said, “This teaching seems all true and scriptural; but what will become of us if you go away, and another man comes who thinks otherwise?  We have no security as in the chapels, that conversion work will go on, and living souls be fed and encouraged.  Very few churches have such a work as the Lord is doing here!”

This, indeed, was the sad part of working in the Church of England then.  Even still, there is much discouragement on this head; and too many living souls, who would not willingly go, are driven away from their own Church, to seek teaching in other communions; but they cannot take their children and servants to witness priestly ceremonials, or to hear sacramental, as opposed to spiritual teaching; neither can they conscientiously give countenance to these things, by going themselves.

However, I endeavoured to pacify the people by begging them to be thankful for present privileges, and to trust God to lead them for the future.

It is an awful thing to see and know that people come for bread, and get a stone; for fish, and they get a serpent; and for an egg, they are offered a scorpion (Luke 11:11, 12).  Exceedingly trying it is to be frowned upon by clerical brethren in the presence of Dissenters, who, to say the least, do know the difference between life and death.  In one church we have the service elaborately rendered, and the sermon is nothing; in another the sermon is everything, and the service most slovenly; and, too often, souls remain unawakened, and perishing on all sides.