Willie and the mortage, showing how much may be accomplished b y a boy . ng, at the sametime, to withdraw the bed-clothes from his fathers face. Soothed by his little sons kind voice, Mr. Joyn gradually be-came calm again. Willie remained with his father for about half an hour, and hada long talk with him. Mr. Joyn said that they should all do verywell if he could only resist the temptation to drink. He had re-solved to give it up, he said, over and over again, but he found itutterly impossible to keep his resolution. In fact, the humansoul, when it is once in the power of such temptations as
Willie and the mortage, showing how much may be accomplished b y a boy . ng, at the sametime, to withdraw the bed-clothes from his fathers face. Soothed by his little sons kind voice, Mr. Joyn gradually be-came calm again. Willie remained with his father for about half an hour, and hada long talk with him. Mr. Joyn said that they should all do verywell if he could only resist the temptation to drink. He had re-solved to give it up, he said, over and over again, but he found itutterly impossible to keep his resolution. In fact, the humansoul, when it is once in the power of such temptations as thosewhich had beset Mr. Joyn, is borne down by the current whereverit chances to carry him. The unhappy victim seems to havescarcely any power to resist. He floats on the stream of life, notlike the proud steamer, which has a force within itself to go up, or PENITENCE. 91 The raft borne on by the current. Mr. Joyns feelile resolvitions. down, or across the current, as it pleases, but rather like a raft,which is almost wholly at the mercy of the current, all the reso-. lution and energy which he can command serving only, like theoar of the raftsman, to retard or change the motion a little, butnot at all to control it. He is borne helplessly onward, no matterwhat rocks, or shoals, or cataracts, or yawning gulfs of destruc-tion may be in the way. Such had been Mr. Joyns experience. He had been borne alonghelplessly by the force of temptation, without having, apparently,any power to resist. Sometimes he had kept his resolution forseveral days ; but then, when he was going by old Tomms store,an idea would come into his head of the glistening stream of rumor gin flowing out into the glass, and would set him almost would summon all his resolution, and endeavor to force him-self by, but he would find his desire to drink rapidly increase,while his strength to resist was so rapidly failing; and the end 92 PENITENCE. Temptation. Mr. Joyn forms new resolutions. Willies usefulness
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