Dr. Edghill preached a fine sermon this morning on “Friend! wherefore art thou come?” Terribly didactic on the fate of Judas, but the practical application was wonderful and so like him!  It being chiefly on the “patient love of Christ.”  Quite merciless on Judas, and on the coarseness, coldness and brutalness of betrayal by the tenderest sign of human love.  “But” (plunging head-first among the Engineers!) “if there’s any man sitting here with a heart and conscience every bit as black as Judas’s in that hour:  to thee, Brother, in this hour—­in thy worst and vilest hour—­Jesus speaks—­’Friend!—­You may have worn out human love, you may try your hardest to wear out Mine’”—­(parenthesis to the A.S.C. and a nautical hitch of half his surplice)—­("and we all try hard enough, that’s certain!)—­’but you never can—­Friend, still My Friend!’” (Pull up, and obvious need of bronchial troches.  Tonsure mopped and a re-commencement.) “Then there’s the appeal to the conscience as well as to the heart. Wherefore art thou come? what art thou about—­what is thy object?  I tell you what, I believe if Judas had answered this in plain language to himself he would have stopped short even then.  And we should stop short of many a sin if we’d face what we’re going to do” (Dangerous precipitation of the whole Chaplain at the heads of the privates below.) “Some of you ask yourselves that question to-day—­this evening as you’re walking to Aldershot, ‘Wherefore am I come?’ And don’t let the Devil put something else into your head, but just answer it,” etc. etc.

He’s not exactly an equal or a finished preacher for highly educated ears, but that sort of transparent candour which he has makes him very affecting when on his favourite topic, the inexhaustible love of God.  His face when he quotes—­“The Son of God Who loved Me and gave Himself for Me,” is like a man showing the Rock he has clung to himself in shipwreck.

TO C.T.G.

X Lines. July 22, 1874.

DEAREST CHARLIE,

It was a great disappointment not to see you!  Now don’t fail me next week—­you scoundrel!  I want you most particularly for most selfish reasons.  I am just taking my hero[38] into Victoria Docks, and want to dip my brush in Couleur locale with your help.  Do come, and we’ll go up to London by barge and sketch all the way!!!  I know an A1 Bargemaster, and we can get beds at the inns en route.  A two days’ voyage!  Or we can go for a shorter period and come home by rail.  It won’t cost us much.

[Footnote 38:  “A Great Emergency,” vol. xi.]

I am so glad to think of you in the dear Old—­New Forest.

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