THE HYACINTH. 191 



any confidence in that which had always appeared 

 to him an infallible guide to heaven. 



* What am I to do V was his anxious inquiry. 

 The Reader told him, that if he would accompany 

 him to the Irish Church, where service was per- 

 formed on the Wednesday evening, he might hear 

 something in his own tongue that should give him 

 more light. 



Unacquainted with the circumstances, the pastor 

 addressed his little flock on the parable of the pro- 

 digal son, expounding it as he proceeded. On ar- 

 riving at the passage — "Put a ring on his finger, 

 and shoes on his feet," he explained the latter by 

 a reference to Eph. vi. " having your feet shod 

 w^ith the preparation of the gospel of peace," and 

 dwelt on the difficulties that the Christian must 

 surmount, or pass over, which required, at every 

 step, such defence as Christ alone can furnish to 

 the feet of his saints. At this period of the dis- 

 course, Doghery trembled exceedingly, and looked 

 down at his feet. The Reader asked the reason of 

 his emotion: ' Look,' he replied, 'at my broken 

 shoes — I could never travel a stony road in them : 

 my soul is in a worse condition than my shoes : 

 how then can I travel that difficult path to heaven ? 

 And see, my shoes are so far gone, that nobody 

 can ever make them good for any thing now : my 

 soul is worse — Oh, who shall mend that !" The 

 Reader was so struck by this singular application 



