y early on account of the distance. The little town was all in a
commotion, and the vicar in this place was beginning to get furious
about my holding this meeting in his parish; his daughter, in
particular, went about warning the people against attending it. Some
young men hired a four-oared boat to come to the evening service,
intending to disturb the congregation. They arrived in good time, but,
for all that, they were too late to get a seat. One young man, the
ringleader of the party, instead of causing a disturbance, stood still
and listened most attentively. I preached that evening from the words,
"And the door was shut," referring to the ark, and the awful desolation
and doom of those who were shut out. All the time I was preaching, I
could see this same man standing before the pulpit, with his elbow
leaning on the end of a high pew. He maintained this position throughout
the service, and at the end of the sermon was still there, rigid and
stiff, looking at the pulpit as if in a trance. He would not move or
speak; there he stood, till we feared he had gone out of his mind. His
companions were awed and took him away as well as they could, but did
not embark on their return journey till after midnight, and then the
tide was against them.

Soon after they had started, the wind rose, and there came on a great
storm; the thunder was loud, and the flashes of lightning awful. The
wind became so strong and violent, that, in spite of all their efforts,
the boat was stranded; they managed, however, to get out and pull it out
of the water, and took refuge for a time under overhanging rocks on the
shore. The young man continued as one stunned, and said nothing. There
they remained till between four and five o'clock in the morning, when
the storm abated, and they were able to set out again. At last they
succeeded in reaching home.

While these unfortunate young men were battling with the elements, we
went home by land and had a night's rest, though it was but a short one.
I rose and went to my meeting at seven o'clock, and on arriving found
the room quite full, there being only one chair unoccupied. As I stood
to 'speak, this seat remained vacant, so I beckoned a young man who was
standing at the door to come and take it. He looked worn and sad, and I
thought I recognized in him the same young man I had noticed the
previous night, and who, I was told, was the ringleader of the party who
came in the boat with the purpose of di