Page:Memorials of Capt. Hedley Vicars, Ninety-seventh Regiment by Marsh, Catherine, 1818-1912.djvu/76

70 Lord Shaftesbury's Ragged Schools, visiting repentant thieves, and diving into the depths of metropolitan wretchedness with city missionaries. Love to the crucified Saviour, who had loved him and given Himself for him, constrained this young soldier of Christ to consecrate every power as a living sacrifice to God. The sense of duty, always strong, doubly so in his renewed nature, seemed again almost lost in his high and deep sense of the privilege of such a service, and in a yearning desire to bring others to rejoice with himself in a free pardon through the blood of the Lamb.

"Much do I wish that I had taken more advantage of our being together to have spoken to you on the great subject. What I want is to persuade you that there is reality in religion, and that true happiness is to be found in it, and in it alone. Give your heart to Christ, my darling sister, and you will never repent your choice. Let us pray earnestly that we may be delivered from the power of sin, that our evil tempers may be mortified and subdued, and that we may more closely resemble our Redeemer."

"When I left you, or rather you left me, I proceeded to search for the London Reformatory for Thieves, in Smith-street, Westminster; and after going through it, I offered to pay a few words to the inmates about the Saviour of sinners. Just then, however, their attendance was required at a public meeting, which was opened by Lord Shaftesbury. Their 'hall' is but a small one, so not many people could be present. The reformed thieves numbered about a hundred and twenty. I must say that I felt strongly inclined to make a muff of myself when they sang the anthem, 'I will arise and go to my Father.' When they had finished, I was obliged to leave, not to lose the train."