IN "THE GOOD OLD TIMES." 121 



the pastor's wife, sounding distinct above the rest. 

 I have never enjoyed the singing of any choir as I 

 did that, composed only of those women's voices. 



The young minister preached in plain words and 

 a manly fashion the Word of God ; no fancies of his 

 own, no fine-spun theories, but the practical sense 

 of the words as applied to their condition of life. 

 No thunderings of the law; no excommunication 

 of the erring; with these he pleaded, holding up 

 to them the humanity that was Divine ; the One 

 who was human above all others, who said to the 

 woman " Go, and sin no more." He tried his best 

 to show them that religion was not a thing for one 

 day of the week, but part and parcel of their lives, 

 to be shown in their bearing towards each other, 

 and their every action. To the aged and the weary 

 and the suffering ones he talked of rest ; looking the 

 while into their faces as though he were their son 

 instead of their preacher. 



They passed out of the chapel with a few remarks 

 on what they had heard ; there were friendly leave- 

 takings, and then the little congregation broke 

 up and lost itself in the woodlands. The young 

 pastor died before he had reached his prime, and 



