202 THE JOURNEYMAN. 



a restraining bond upon me strong enough to preserve 

 me for the future from known sin. I would thus be 

 shut up by every principle of honour to serve God, of 

 loving Him I had no idea. I made and took my vow 

 to be I knew not what, called God to witness it, and for 

 a few following days, persisted in praying twice a day. 

 But prayer soon became an irksome duty proud 

 thoughts over which I had no control, and strong desires 

 that would not be repressed by a few light words, came 

 rushing on my mind in a mingled torrent, and swept 

 before them every vain resolve. To add to their strength 

 my health began to amend, and it not only appeared an 

 impracticable, but even a foolish, thing to strive any 

 longer to be religious. 



' I passed the winter of this year and the spring of the 

 following one at home, and there became acquainted with 

 an old companion of my uncles. He had resided at 

 Edinburgh for many years, and though a clever, was 

 neither a steady nor respectable man, but for the sake of 

 becoming acquainted with his character, which was ec- 

 centric in the extreme, I courted his company and con- 

 versation. At Edinburgh he had been a member of one 

 of those deistical clubs so common in large towns ; and 

 by a natural quickness, and from the habit of speaking 

 at their meetings, had acquired the faculty of arguing 

 extempore with a good deal of skill. My uncles, whose 

 principles and opinions were in almost every particular 

 the reverse of his, impressed by early recollections, still 

 continued attached to him ; but, as might be expected, 

 frequently attacked opinions which he was by no means 

 slow to defend. The doctrine of predestination, that 

 hobby-horse of disputants, was brought frequently on 

 the carpet, as was also the doctrine of universal, as op- 

 posed to partial, redemption. At first I merely listened 



