Sunday at Fort Churchill. 133 



I 

 others. The price of salvation also included forsaking sin. Every 



man had an abundance of sin, therefore no mistake need be made 

 about forsaking it. Evil companions, dissipation, etc., were to be 

 forsaken, and evil thoughts were to be subdued. Further, the price 

 of salvation included returning unto God.. One might have some- 

 thing to give up in forsaking sin, but he had much more to gain in 

 returning to God. When these conditions were complied with, the 

 seeking, forsaking, returning sinner was to be abundantly pardoned. 

 There would be no half-way measure, but a full whole-souled par- 

 don. To illustrate this abundant pardon, the preacher told a story 

 of a young Scotch lad, well brought up by Christian parents in a 

 country place, who at a certain age left his home in Scotland to 

 enter upon a business life in the great city of London. There he 

 met with evil companions, got led into gambling dens and stole his 

 master's money. Being discovered, his master told him of the fear- 

 ful wickedness of his crime; but to his great joy and surprise said 

 he had decided, in view of his great temptations, to forgive him. 

 The young lad began to weep with joy, and to thank his employer 

 that he was' not sent to prison, and was told that he was not only 

 fully forgiven, but was to be reinstated in his old position. This 

 added surprise to his astonishment, but it was not all yet. His 

 master went on and said that he had decided not only to fully for- 

 give him, and to fully reinstate him into his confidence and employ- 

 ment, but to promote him to a higher station. Such, said the Rev. 

 Mr. Lofthouse, is the character of God's abundant pardon. 



It seemed to me, however, that the illustration went a little too 

 far. It was all right perhaps for the London merchant to have for- 

 given the wayward young Scotchman, and even to have reinstated 

 him, but the promotion business looked too much like placing a 

 premium on rascality. ^ However, it was a pretty good sermon to 

 meet with away up in Churchill ; and one who had not been treated 

 to a sermon for so long was not disposed to find fault, especially as 

 the hearty singing, aided by the screaky melodeon, had a tendency 

 to smooth off small rough edges of doctrine. In the afternoon I 

 visited the Sunday school, conducted by the parson, and found some 

 twenty children, mostly girls, much interested in the exercises. 



