Page:Black Jacob, a monument of grace.djvu/42

34 none of the circumstances attending his crimes ever induced him to plead the least justification. His clear perceptions of sin and deep agony of heart, arose from the conviction that he had offended not against man alone, but against God. It was this that caused his "load of sin to grow heavier and heavier."

For some time there was, apparently, no change in the character of his feelings. All was constant reflection, intense study, deep feeling, bordering on despair. The fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah, and what the chaplain had told him of the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, served to keep his mind still inquiring for relief. At length, as he himself described it, "One day, when I was praying in my cell, my burden of guilt was removed. I felt that I might be pardoned through Jesus Christ."

The relief which this gave him seems to have been almost indescribable. Every thing wore a new aspect. Even the gloomy prison seemed a cheerful and happy place. His expressions of joy