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THE KING’S BUSINESS
was pouring out the vials of His wrath upon the three kingdoms, that I went to Coleraine. When the hand of God lay upon the place, many turned to the Lord; but when it was removed, many turned like the sow that had been washed to her wallowing in the mire. He who stands before you was one of the latter sort. I stole my in denture and ran away to Belfast I wished to join a body of Christians there, but they got a letter from Coleraine telling them not to receive me. One man told me on the Sabbath the communication which he had received, and wanted me to go back. I, being of a proud, rebellious spirit,, refused to do this. I was laid upon a sick-bed for six weeks. After I got better I was going away to the theatre. His brother, seeing me, came after me. He stopped me and brought me into his house. He wanted me to pray to God. I said I had no call to pray to God—what would I pray to Him for? He told me to cry, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’ I went down to my knees and repeated these words, and rose up and said, ‘Will that do, now?’ He said, ‘No;’ and made me kneel down by him. and he prayed with me. After this, I went to the theatre, cock-fighting, horse-racing, etc. I wanted to form a marriage connection with a young woman, the daughter of Christian parents, and went to church with her, put ting on a hypocritical face; but her parents were very much against her taking this step. This is a warning to all here, in this respect, never to disobey their parents. AN AWFUL RECORD “You see one standing before you who put out his wife to the door, and took her clothes, to the value of £20, and burned them. You see one before you who loaded his gun to shoot his own son. You see one before you who took a car and drove down three miles to throw himself into the sea, and was found upon a rock with the billows- dashing at his feet. And you would think that this was enough; but not so. You see one before you who was tried for taking away the life of a fellow-creature. I tried to break the Sabbath-day, in every possible
manner. I took money in my pocket and went away to Portrush and other watering- places to break the Lord’s day. Not one in Coleraine would speak to me, and I did not give one in Coleraine the credit of being a Christian but one woman, who always spoke to me and asked for me when she saw me. On a Monday I went to my son, who was cashier, and took charge of my business, and demanded five pounds. He gave it to me in case I should play any mischief. It only lasted me that day. I demanded another five on Tuseday; this lasted me till Saturday. The Reverend Wil liam Richey had overwrought himself with hard work, and was laid upon his bed. The doctor told him he had only half an hour to live (although he recovered after a linger ing illness), and asked if he had any mat ters to arrange before he died. He pulled out a sealed packet from under his pillow, and said, ‘Will you give this to Mr. Halt- ridge?’ It was a few days after this the doctor gave me the package. (By this time I was brought under conviction.) He said he did not know what it was. I opened it. It was that little book, ‘Come to Jesus.’ I was in great distress one day, and I went away from my house about a quarter of a mile. I leaped over the wall and went into a summer-house there, in order that the dews of heaven might cool my fevered brow. I put my hand into my pocket to pull out my handkerchief, and that little book came into my hand. I would not give it for all Glasgow. One thing had es caped my memory. When the revival broke out, my son, a promising youth of twenty, although not. brought under the grace of God, attended a meeting held at Market- hill, and was ‘stricken’ down. A good wo man came to me while I was reading the flimsy trash of the day, ‘novels,’ which I always did—I think it was Reynold’s Mis cellany I had at that time. She said, ‘Mr. Haltridge, kneel down and give God thanks, your son is stricken down.’ I ordered her to go out of the way, and went to my bed room, and shut myself up for eight hours. They brought him and laid him on the sofa.
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