Produced by Barry Simpson, Juliet Sutherland, Tonya Allen, Charles Franks
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.This file was produced from images generously made availableby the Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions.
'One of the most terrible instances of dishonesty I ever knew,' said alady friend to me, 'happened in my own family, or, I should say, in oneof its relative branches. You were staying last summer at Westcliff;did you hear Dr. Leatrim preach?'
'Yes; my friends resided about a mile from the parsonage, and wereconstant in their attendance at his church. The Doctor was one of theprincipal attractions of the place—one of the most eloquent men I everheard in the pulpit.'
'Did you ever meet him in company?'
'Never. I was told that he seldom went into society, and lived quite asolitary life; that some great domestic calamity had weaned himentirely from the world; that his visits were confined to the poor ofhis parish, or to those who stood in need of his spiritual advice; thatsince the death of his wife and only son, he had never been seen with asmile upon his face. To tell you the truth, I was surprised to hearsermons so full of heavenly benevolence and love breathed from the lipsof such an austere and melancholy-looking man.'
'Ah, my poor uncle!' sighed my friend; 'he has had sorrows and trialsenough to sour his temper and break his heart. He was not always thegentle, earnest Christian you now see him, but a severe, uncompromisingtheologian of the old school, and looked upon all other sects whoopposed his particular dogmas as enemies to the true faith. A strictdisciplinarian, he suffered nothing to interfere with his religiousduties, and exercised a despotic sway in the church and in his family.He married, early in life, my father's only sister, and made her anexcellent husband; and if a certain degree of fear mingled with herlove, it originated in the deep reverence she felt for his character.
'He was forty years of age when the Earl of B——, who was a nearrelation, conferred upon him the living of Westcliff. The last incumbenthad been a kind, easy-going old man, who loved his rubber of whist and asocial chat with his neighbours over a glass of punch, and left them totake care of their souls in the best manner they could, considering thathe well earned his 700 pounds per annum by preaching a dull, plethoricsermon once a week, christening all the infants, marrying the adults,and burying the dead. It was no wonder that Dr. Leatrim found theparish, as far as religion was concerned, in a very heathenish state.
'His zealous endeavours to arouse them from this careless indifferencegave great offence. The people did not believe that they were sinners,and were very indignant with the Doctor for insisting upon the fact.But he spared neither age nor sex in his battle for truth, and foughtit with most uncompromising earnestness. Rich or poor, it was all thesame to him; he spoke as decidedly to the man of rank as to thehumblest peasant in his employ.
'His eloquence was a vital power; the energy with which he enforced itcompelled people to listen to him; and as he lived up to hisprofessions, and was ever foremost in every good word and work, theywere forced to respect his character, though he did assail all theirpublic and private vices from the pulpit, and enforced their strict