HISTORY OF HIS MIND. 199 



reserved and unsocial in his manners, and little loved by 

 his fellow- workmen. Once or twice I have seen him 

 grow very angry when some parts of the conduct of his 

 favourite preacher were censured censured too, as I 

 thought, with reason. There was another of the work- 

 men with whom I wrought who was of the grave, serious 

 cast. He contributed quarterly to the support of the 

 Bible Society, was regular in his attendance at Church, 

 and reproved swearing or indecent language every time 

 he chanced to hear it among his companions. But it 

 did not escape my observation that this man was so 

 censorious that not even his brother saint, Mr M , 

 was exempted from the severity of his animadversions, 

 and so proud of his purity of life that the errors and 

 misconduct of others afforded him pleasure. Perhaps 

 he regarded them as foils to the virtues he possessed. 



' Besides these two there were some others who made 

 a profession of religion with whom I became partially 

 acquainted : but the tenor of their lives was ill qualified 

 to impress my mind with a high opinion of the sanctify- 

 ing influences of Christianity. One was a hard, austere 

 man, of obtuse feelings, who seemed determined, what- 

 ever he thought of the world to come, to make the most 

 he could of the present ; a second was silly and weak ; 

 and a third was what I termed a Sabbath Christian, that 

 is, one who attends Church, calls the preacher precious 

 man, can tell a great many of the strange legends of the 

 Scottish Church, and reprobates the poor wretches who 

 prefer common sense to fanaticism. And are these men 

 Christians ? thought I. I have often heard divines bid 

 that part of their congregations which they termed men 

 of the world look at the life of the Christian, and grow 

 convinced of the power and truth of Christianity by 

 that example which is superior to precept. I have 



