The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-04-23
Che Circuit 8ider:
A TALE OF THE HEROIC AGE.
By EDWARD EGGLEsToN,
.4uthor Of" The Hoosier School. Mas
ter" End Of the World" etc.
from the Christian Union.
CHAPTER NNII.
THE DECISION.
CHAPTER NNII
THE DEC E1iSION.


had slumbered during his GONZALES
cence. 1t was wide awake now. III,
sat that evening in his room trying 7,
see the right way. According to tn,
old Methodist custom he looked fol
some inward movement of the spiri,
some ''impression"-that should
guide him.
During the great religious excite.
ment of the early part OF this century
Western pie,ists referred everything
to God in prayer, and the belief in
immediate divine direction was often
carried to ludicrous extent. 1t is
related that one man retired to the
hills and prayed week that he might
know how to be baptized, and that
at las, he came rushing out of the
woods shouting "'Hallelujah. Inner
sion." Various devices were inven-
ted for obtaining divine direction
devices not unworthy the ancient aug
urs. Lorenzo Dow used to suffer his
horse TO take his own course at each
divergence Of the road. 1t seems to
have been favorite delusion of piet
ism. in all ages, that God could dir
eet an inanimate object, guide dumb
brute, or impress blind impulse up
on the human mind, but could not
enlighten or guide the judgment IL
self. The opening of a Bible at ran
dom for directing text became SO
common during the Wesleyan move
ment in England, that Dr. Adam
Clarke thought il necessary to utter
stout Irish philippe against what
he called "Bible sortilege.'
These devout diyines, these vanes
set TO catch the direction of heavenly
breezes. could not but impress SO
earnest nature as kike's. Now in
his distress he prayed with earger-
ness and opened his Bible at random
to find his eye lighting, not on any
ineligible or remotely applicable
passage, but upon bead-roll of un-
pronounceable names in one of the
early chapters of the Book of Chron-
icles. This disappointment he accept
ep as trial Of hs faith. Faith like
kike's is not to be dashed by disap-
pointment. He prayed again for dir
ection, and opened at last at the text
"Simon, son of Jonas, lowest thou me
more than these.' The marked trait
in kike's piety was an enthusiastic
personal loyalty to the Lord Jesus
Christ. This question seemed direct
ed to him, as it had been TO Peter, in
reproach. He would hesitate no long
er. Love, and life itself. should be
sacrificed for the Christ who died ior
him. Then he prayed once more, and
there came to his mind the memory
Of that saying about leaving houses
and homes, and lands, and wives, for
Christ's sake. 1t came to him, doubt
less, by perfectly y natural law fmen-
tai association. But what did like
know of the association of ideas, or
of any other law oil mental action p
Wesleys sermons and Bensons Life
of Fletcher constituted his library
To him it seemed certain that this
text of Scripture was suggested. -
1t was call from Christ to give up
all for him. And in the spirit OF the
sublimest self-sacritice he said:-
"Lord, | will keep back nothing.
But emotions and resolutions that
are at high tide in the evening often
ebb before morning. like thought
himself strong enough to begin again
to rise at four o'clock, as Wesley had
ordained in those ''rules for preach
er's conduct" which every Methodist
preacher even yet promises to keep.
Following the same rules, he procee-
ded to set apart the first hour for
prayer and meditation. The night
before all had seemed clear; but now
the morning had come and he must
soon proceed to execute his stern re-
solve, he found himself full of doubt
and irresolution. Such vacillation
was not characteristic of like, but il
the depth Of his feeling for
Ncttie. Doubtless, too, the enerva-
ton of convalescence had to do with
it. Certainly in that raw and foggy
dawn the forsaking of the paradise of
rest and love in which he had linger-
ed seemed to require more courage
than he could muster. After all,why
should he leave: Night he not be
in regard to his duty? Was
he obliged to sacrifice his life?
He conducted his devotions in a
state of great mental distraction
Seeing copy of Baxters Reformed
Pastor which belonged to DIR. Morgan
lying on the windowse he took it
up, hoping to get some light from its
stimulating pages. He remembered
that Wesley spoke we'll of Baxter;
but he could not fix his mind upon
the book. He kept listlessly turning
the leaves until his eye lighted upon
a sentence in Latin. like knew not
a single word of Latin, and for that
very reason his attention was the
more readily attracted by the SEN
tencc in an unknown tongue. He
read it, "Nec propter citon, rirendi
l,erdere ca,1sds." He found written
in the margin free rendering: "Let
us not, for the sake of life, sacrifice
the only things worth living for" He
knelt down now and gave thanks for
what seemed to him Divine direction.
He had been delivered from temp
tation to sacrifice the great end of
living for the sake of saving his life.
1t cost him pang to bid adieu to
DIR. Morgan and his motherly wife and
the excellent Jane. 1t cost him a
great pang to say good bye to Nettie
Morgan. Her mobile face could ill
conceal her feeling. She did not ven
ture TO come to the door. kike found
her alone in the little porch at the
back of the house, trying to look un-
concerned. Afraid to trust himself
he bade her farewell, dryly, taking
her hand coldIy for a moment. But
the sight of her pain-stricken face
touched him to the quick; he seized
her hand again, Land, with his eyes full
Of tears, said: "Good bye, Nettie
Good bless you, and keep you forcv
er!" and then turned suddenly away
bidding the rest hasty adieu and
riding off eagerly, almost afraid tc
look hack He was moro savera thar