4 RELIGIOUS IMPRESSIONS. Jntrod. 



all who wished for education might have obtained it. Many 

 availed themselves of the privilege ; and some of my school- 

 fellows now rank in positions far above what they appeared ever 

 likely to come to when in the village school. If such a system 

 were established in England, it would prove a never-ending 

 blessing to the poor. 



In reading, everything that I could lay my hands on was de- 

 voured except novels. Scientific works and books of travels were 

 my especial delight ; though my father, believing, with many of 

 Ins time who ought to have known better, that the former were 

 inimical to religion, would have preferred to have seen me poring 

 over the ' Cloud of Witnesses,' or Boston's ' Fourfold State.' Our 

 difference of opinion reached the point of open rebellion on my 

 part, and his last application of the rod was on my refusal to 

 peruse Wilberforce's ' Practical Christianity.' This dislike to 

 dry doctrinal reading, and to religious reading of every sort, 

 continued for years afterwards ; but having lighted on those 

 admirable works of Dr. Thomas Dick, ' The Philosophy of Re- 

 ligion,' and ' The Philosophy of a Future State,' it was gratifying 

 to find my own ideas, that religion and science are not hostile, 

 but friendly to each other, fully proved and enforced. 



Great pains had been taken by my parents to instil the 

 doctrines of Christianity into my mind, and I had no difficulty in 

 understanding the theory of our free salvation by the atonement 

 of our Saviour, but it was only about this time that I really 

 began to feel the necessity and value of a personal application of 

 the provisions of that atonement to my own case. The change 

 was like what may be supposed would take place were it possible 

 to cure a case of " colour blindness." The perfect freeness with 

 which the pardon of all our guilt is offered in God's book drew 

 forth feelings of affectionate love to Him who bought us with Ins 

 blood, and a sense of deep obligation to Him for his mercy has 

 influenced, in some small measure, my conduct ever since. But 

 I shall not again refer to the inner spiritual life which I believe 

 then began, nor do I intend to specify with any prominence the 

 evangelistic labours to which the love of Christ has since impelled 

 me : this book will speak not so much of what has been done, as 

 of what still remains to be performed before the gospel can be 

 said to be preached to all nations. 



