ing nature of my business, which made it necessary that I should sometimes labor on that day. Upon the whole, I regarded myself as a very correct and upright man, and I fully intended to make myself more so. I was a liberal supporter of religion according to my means. I attended fashionable places of public worship whenever it was convenient. I also endeavored to keep on good terms with the christian part of the community. unbelief I prudently kept to myself, and though not a religious man, I was generally regarded as friendly to religion by the religious portion of my fellow-citizens."

My

DEBATING WITH A UNIVERSALIST.

On another occasion he attended the church of God, when, no doubt, the Holy Spirit was silently operating upon his wicked heart. On his return home he met with a gentleman who was a professed Universalist and a Unitarian in theory. This man immediately took

A ZEALOUS ANTAGONIST.

exceptions to the sermon.

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The minister had

said something about eternal punishment which displeased him very much, and he attempted to explain away those passages of the Holy Scriptures which inculcate this doctrine. His manner of discussing the subject, did not suit the logical mind of Mr. Baldwin, and he remarks: "Unbelieving as I was, I could not bear to hear the word of God handled deceitfully. Almost unconsciously, I found myself immediately warmly engaged in vindicating the truth of the doctrines of the gospel. I fairly encountered him on his own ground, and I then felt that I was 'contending for the faith once delivered to the saints.' Did 'God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness' then shine into my heart? I feel persuaded that he did. Every one that is of the truth,' saith the Savior, 'heareth my voice.' Heretofore I had rarely read the Scriptures. I now began to study them with close attention-for I had a zealous antagonist to contend with, and I had too much pride

to yield him the victory. In reading the Holy Scriptures I often felt a strange influence upon me. Sometimes in reading aloud to my wife I was choked for utterance, and found myself unexpectedly in tears. The trial of the faith of Abraham, the story of Joseph, and above all, the sufferings of our blessed Redeemer completely dissolved my heart; MY SKEPTICAL OPINIONS HAD ALL VANISHED. For

As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image.'"

But up to this period he had felt no desire to seek the salvation of his soul. Soon after debating with the Universalist, he was in company with one who disbelieved the doctrine of a change of heart, or experimental religion, and spoke with great warmth against offering prayer to God. He contended that our prayers were not regarded by the Almighty, much less answered; that there was no such thing as the operations of the Holy Ghost, and that if prayer produced any effect on the

ABSURD CONCLUSIONS.

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feelings, it was a mere moral effect-the result simply of pursuing a train of reflections calculated in their nature to sooth and tranquilize the mind. Mr. Baldwin said in reply, that he could not agree with him, his conclusions were pushed so far that he felt their absurdity. "I could not believe that God, who is a 'Spirit,' had given to us spirits, and had created us moral and intelligent, and accountable beings, and yet would refuse to hold any intercourse with the 'souls he had made.' And although I had not for years attempted to pray, I now fully believed that God was willing to hear and answer in some way the prayers of his children, though I could not comprehend how it was done. I now began to think that I should try at some future period to embrace religion. The only question to be settled was, when shall I set about the work? I was comparatively young, actively and successfully engaged in business, which promised me a comfortable and independent support, and an honorable position among men. My prospects

in life were flattering, and I was counting on many years of pleasure and an old age of renown. Yet I well knew the most brilliant sun must set the longest life must come to a close. And what then? What is to follow? Doubtless, an honorable burial-a handsome monument a paragraph in the columns of a fleeting newspaper-and then the 'place which now knows me, shall know me no more forever.' What must become of the spiritthat immortal part-which must survive the ravages of death and the desolations of the tomb? The question was one of awful import, and came home with thrilling power to my heart. 'Surely, I shall not die without religion: 'I will get it in old age.' 'There is time enough yet.' 'If I do not live the life of the righteous, I will die his death.' This conclusion being arrived at, I began to live up to it, and had I been left to myself, my destruction though slow would have been no less sure." *

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