“Well,” he continued, “I’m one o’ them.  I don’t know why we laughed and made fun, for we all on us felt your words deeply, and went home to pray; and a few days afterwards we were all three converted—­that we were.  Praise the Lord!  After that, we volunteered for the navy, to go to the Crimea war.  I’ve been in some hot scenes, sure enough.  One day we got a little too near the Russian battery, and they peppered us brave—­no mistake, I assure you; they cut our masts and rigging to pieces, and ploughed up our deck with their shots.  Men were being killed on every side of me.  I thought, now I shall see the King in His glory.  My soul was so happy, I expected every moment to be cut down and sent into His presence; but not a shot touched me!  I had not even a scratch; and here I be, safe and sound, all through mercy!”

Thus, these three men, who made me at the time so unhappy, and disturbed me to such a degree, turned out well, after all.

Since then, on several occasions, I have felt as discouraged in preaching as I was that day; and though again and again I have said that I will not heed it, I have nevertheless found it difficult to be unmoved under this mysterious influence.  I write this for the comfort and consolation of others who are afflicted under similar circumstances, that they may not be cast down by their feelings.

3.  Mount Hawke

The next occasion was very different, and quite a contrast in results.  I was invited to a neighbouring parish, which formerly used to be united with Perran at the time when I had sole charge of it.  Here, on the appointed Saturday afternoon, I found not fewer than three thousand people assembled on the common.  They had erected a kind of platform, with a canvas awning, to shelter me from the wind, which always blows with more or less violence in Cornwall, even when it is not raining.

There I stood and beheld this concourse of people, evidently full of large expectation.  I gave out the hymn—­

“Oh for a thousand tongues, to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise!”

This was heartily sung; and after prayer for a blessing, I announced my text, and spoke from the fact, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  Upon enforcing this as worthy of all acceptation, I pressed the thought, that the Lord Jesus came more than eighteen hundred years ago, and that is present still, and able to work greater than He wrought then; for indeed He only began then to do and to teach what He is doing and teaching continuously now.

A mighty power of the Spirit of the Lord came on the people, and several hundreds fell upon their knees simultaneously, and many began to cry aloud for mercy.  The strange part was, that the power of the Lord appeared to pass diagonally through the crowd, so that there was a lane of people on their knees six or eight feet deep, banked up on either side by others standing.  It extended from the left-hand corner near me, to the right-hand corner in the distance.