cess; for in seven months he earned the sum of $150-no mean amount in that pursuit, at that day, and for a mere youth.

He then, with his gains of money and experience, returned to his father's house, where an attack of remittent fever brought him to death's door. It had, doubtless, developed during the vicissitudes of his journeyings through the country, where he must have endured often, bad shelter. poor fare, and exposure to the weather. Then began, or for the first time declared itself, a tendency to the disease which forty years after ended his life. He became so ill that the physician despaired of his life, and indeed notified the family that his patient must die. He knew his condition. and writing years afterward in his Diary, he says:

(A) "I was awakened to a sense of my danger. I saw myself to be poor and miserable, helpless and wretched. No ray of light from Bethlehem's Star shone upon my pathway. All was gloom. All was misery. Cheerfully would I have given the world, had it been mine, for one short hour; so invaluable is time and so trivial is earth, when eternity appears in view to an unprepared soul.”

But his devoted mother could not give him up. (A) "She took herself to prayer, and, feeling there was no aid to be hoped for from man, she

looked to God, spending the night in intercession. The burden of her cry was, 'I cannot give up my son. He is not prepared to die.""

Mr. SHAW always devoutly believed that his life was prolonged in answer to this "fervent, effectual prayer" of his mother, and he never forgot her faith and courage, or the effect upon himself when he could vaguely discern through his delirium the despair of the father at the physician's verdict, and the unconquerable cheerfulness and hopefulness of the mother who persisted in asserting that God had answered her prayer, and granted her an assurance that her son would live.

He had been a youth of singular morality and correctness of conduct-standing aloof from the vices of his equals, and devoting himself to study rather than to the pleasures of his age; but he was not decidedly pious. In fact, his mind was wholly preoccupied by the ambition to attain success as a man of affairs, and he had given little attention to the claims of religion. Now, however, he was like a man suddenly aroused from slumber by the call of danger. His spiritual struggle, protracted through several days, was most severe; but, as always for the sincere, contrite, and earnest soul, he came at last into the favor of God through the merit and mediation of the sinner's Saviour,

and attained at once peace of conscience, purification of heart, and that elevation of motive and energy of faith which marked his character henceforward.

His account of his conversion is interesting, being typical of all such moral crises, and withal indicative of his own characteristics. The thorough-going energy of his penitence and prayer, the fervor of his enthusiam, the unhesitating confidence and certitude of his belief, were qualities. thus early manifested, which dominated his whole religious life. He says: (A) "Sincerely, earnestly, importunately did I cry, God be merciful to me. a sinner. After many days of deep distress, deliverance came. I was enabled to rest my burdened soul on Jesus, who spoke to me, saying, 'Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God?' I had not left my sick-room, but so transforming and renovating was the blessing I then received that both mind and body participated in the restoring influence. I immediately arose to my feet, clapped my hands in an ecstacy of joy, and with a loud voice praised the God of my salvation; for, from a realizing sense could I say, 'O Lord, I will praise Thee; though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortest me.' So delighted was

I with the experience I had obtained that I sent for my friends and neighbors, testifying to them that all my sins were forgiven, that I had been brought from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. Some heard me, and, like Nicodemus, were ready to say, How can these things be?' Others concluded that my mind, through severe and dangerous illness, had become deranged, and that when physical strength should be regained, these things would pass away. But, though many years have passed since the day of my spiritual birth, I have abundant reason to be unfeignedly thankful to God, that the blessing then received remains, and I fondly anticipate that to the end of my earthly pilgrimage I may be enabled to testify, from personal experience, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and to be ready always to give, in answer to every man that asketh me, a reason of the hope that is in me, with meekness and fear; and then throughout the annals of a blissful eternity, may it be my happy privilege to unite with the ransomed and joyfully sing, 'Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and the Lamb, unto Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.'"

The leisure of his convalescence was employed in painstaking study of the Scriptures, a practice he observed all his life, until most of the New Testament, and large portions of the Psalms and Prophecies, were stored away in his memory. In thus searching for God's will he became convinced of his duty to make a public profession of religion and to unite with the Christian Church. His attention was naturally directed first to the Church of his forefathers, and, in fact, he was strongly inclined to worship at her altars, but found himself utterly unable to accept the Calvinistic doctrines which, it was expected, he should subscribe on entering her fellowship. He was not familiar with any other creed or Church, and so remained for a time unattached, yet observing strictly the exercises of piety, and even warning his friends who were careless, "to flee from the wrath to come."

The fact of his thus standing aloof for a time. from church-association, on conscientious grounds, is note-worthy in one so young, and even praiseworthy as indicating considerateness, scrupulosity, and freedom of mind. He would not be swayed, in so high a matter, by prevalent opinion, custom, education, or the influence of friends.

In a little while he accepted the position of teacher at White Plains, N. Y., where for the first