wept, and earnestly prayed that God would have mercy upon him, so as to pardon his sins, and bestow upon him the blessing of a new heart. One of his sisters, also, a remarkably fine and clever young woman, was, at the same time, deeply affected in the same manner, and gave signs of sincere repentance. He often afterwards called me his spiritual father-an honor which I much wonder should have been assigned to me."

This appears to have been the time of his first religious awakening; and the sorrowful convictions of the evil and danger of sin, of which he then gave decisive evidence, exerted a powerful influence upon his mind long afterwards. He became an attentive hearer of sermons, and showed a maturity of judgment, with respect to evangelical truth, which was surprising in a boy of his tender age. He believed that he should not only be a converted and pious man, but a Methodist preacher, and turned his attention to the structure and composition of sermons. A letter which he wrote to a well-disposed youth, when he had himself become an aged man, places in a striking light the predominant feeling of his heart, and the maturity of judgment of which he was possessed, at this early period of his life. The letter bears the date of August 8th, 1849,-the time of the Manchester Conference. It is as follows:

"1 Tim. ii. 4: Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.'

"i. What are we here to understand by 'the truth?'

“ii. What is intended by 'the knowledge of the truth?' "iii. What is the salvation consequent upon the knowledge of the truth?

"iv. What reason have we to believe that God wills the salvation of all men ?

"My dear David :-The above is the first outline of a

sermon I ever attempted. I was then from ten to twelve years of age. I had then an impression that I should some time be in the Wesleyan ministry. I have now had a place in that ministry during the lapse of fifty years. Who can tell what is before you? The Lord direct you!"

Yet, notwithstanding these convictions, and even aspirations to the ministerial office, he underwent various changes, both in respect of his outward circumstances and the state of his mind and heart, before he attained to the truly Christian character, and was called to labor in the word and doctrine.

He was apprenticed to Mr. Ralph Sigsworth, of Stokesley, who appears to have carried on the business of a draper, a grocer, and a druggist; but the confinement of a shop neither accorded with his health, nor with the irrepressible desire which he cherished for a greater amount of muscular action. His spirits began to droop, and his strength to fail. His kind and considerate master, therefore, gave him the indenture by which he was bound, and allowed him to return to his father's farm, where he found employment more congenial with his constitution and the habits which he had formed.

After his return to his father's house, his heart was not at rest, for he did not love God; and in the absence of that heavenly principle there is no real enjoyment, let a man's outward circumstances be what they may. As he advanced in his teens, he betrayed that restlessness which is always consequent upon alienation from God, especially when the conscience is awakened, and the invitations of the gospel are not cordially accepted. At one time he was inclined to entertain the infidel notions of Paine, which then engaged the public attention; but this fact he did not dare to disclose in the presence of his father. Then his imagination was fired by the stirring accounts of military valor which the public papers contained, and the invasion with which England was

menaced by the Republicans of France: he enrolled himself with a company of volunteers, and learned the sword-exercise; and then his heart was set upon entering into the regular army. Yet the authority of his father over him was complete; and by that authority the wayward youth was effectually restrained from his purpose.

And now, at length, the designs of God with respect to this interesting young man were disclosed. The years 1797 and 1798 were seasons of great spiritual prosperity to the Wesleyan body. Extensive revivals of religion took place; and the Whitby Circuit, where the family of the Newtons lived, was favored with rich effusions of Divine influence, in consequence of which many wanderers from God were reclaimed, large accessions were made to the societies, "believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women." During this season of special visitation Robert Newton was made a partaker of the salvation from sin which the gospel reveals, and fully entered upon the enjoyments, the duties, and the conflicts of the Christian life.

In his case, no particular instrumentality was employed in reviving the gracious convictions which he had formerly experienced in connection with the preaching and conversation of Mr. Kershaw. He saw the people press, in great numbers, to his father's house, to hear the gospel, and to unite in prayer: he witnessed the sorrow of penitent sinners, the joy of the young converts, and the godly zeal of those who had long known the Lord. Along with many others, his sister Mary was made happy in God; and as she went about the house discharging her daily duties, as well as in the company of her brothers, she sang, in strains of the purest devotion, and with irresistible sweetness and power, the Wesleyan hymns; thus giving utterance to the joyous feelings of her sanctified mind. She was a young woman of great personal

beauty, of a fine form, an amiable disposition, and possessed a melodious voice, in the use of which she enlivened the singing in the Methodist meetings.

In these circumstances, Robert's former convictions were renewed. The Holy Spirit again came upon him as the Spirit of bondage and fear, giving him to feel his guilt, and consequent liability to future misery; so that he had no rest until he had submitted himself to the righteousness of God, by fleeing to Christ for refuge. Of his religious history at this important period, the Rev. William Toase has kindly supplied the following account :

"We were born within a few miles of each other; and I well remember him in his youthful days, and at the beginning of his religious life. When I was very young, I often listened to the fervent prayers of his good father, with attention and feeling, as he poured out his soul to God at our village prayer-meetings. The word of the Lord was precious in those days; and the arrival of the round-preacher' in one of our small towns or villages was an event which we hailed with thankfulness and joy. If we wished to hear a sermon from one of our appointed ministers more than once a month, we had to travel two, four, and even six or eight miles, often in bye-paths, bad roads, and amidst the winter's snow.

"In the year 1797, under the zealous and effective ministry of the Rev. Jonathan Brown and the Rev. Thomas Vasey, there was a gracious revival of religion throughout the Whitby Circuit. Upwards of four hundred persons were added to the societies, and crowds flocked to our humble place of worship. At this time, Robert Newton was deeply convinced of sin. His sorrow was intense, and continued for the space of nine weeks. Such was the interest that was taken in his case, by the pious people in the neighborhood, that a special prayermeeting was held on Sunday afternoon, at Lofthouse, in his

behalf, at which I was present. On that occasion, although he was much encouraged by the prayers which were offered for him, and the advice which he received from Christians of experience, yet he did not then find peace with God. This blessing, I believe, he afterwards received in his own room in his father's house at Roxby."

With this statement, the accounts which have been furnished by other persons who were acquainted with him in early life. are in perfect agreement. They all describe his penitential sorrow as poignant and long-continued. They state that the deep dejection of his spirit was depicted in his countenance: that he mourned over the hardness of his heart; and that he obtained peace with God, not in a public meeting, but in private. Yet, when he obtained this "pearl of great price," he was not strictly alone. His sister Ann was with him, and received, at the same time, the unspeakable gift of God, as she has stated in her private diary. She says, "I knew that I must obtain forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ Jesus; and when I heard sermons on the nature of faith, I heard as for my life; but my diffident mind was long held in suspense. I found, however, that I must make an effort to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and I was blessed in the deed; for, while my dear brother Robert and I unitedly wrestled with the Lord in prayer, we obtained power from on high, and peace and joy through believing, the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts. Each happy countenance indicated the inward heaven which we had in possession. We did indeed rejoice in God our Saviour." The day which to them was rendered thus memorable was February 26th, 1798.

Hence it is manifest, that the personal conversion of Robert Newton was thoroughly scriptural and strongly marked. It began with conviction of sin: that conviction produced "godly sorrow," bitter and agonizing. In this state he continued for