that his stomach began to reject all kinds of food. This second attempt on his part to approach the Lord's table led to worse results than before. He was overwhelmed with the thought that if a man sinned after he had received the Sacrament there was no help for him. Driven to desperation, he determined to give up religion altogether; he would crush this accusing conscience, and live as other men. Accordingly, he turned into the alehouse, sought company, went to a review, did all he could to throw off his fears, saying to himself, "If I am damned, I shall not be damned alone; the great part of mankind will bear me company."
In this dissolute course he persisted for weeks, until he met with a man who made him a present of a manuscript sermon. He took it home, opened it, and this was the text—"For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large, the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it."
As the unhappy sinner read the sermon his hair stood on end, and such was his terror that he thought for a few minutes he was really in hell. In his remorse for his late misconduct he says, in his strong way, that "he thought he should have torn the flesh from his bones." He stripped himself, knelt down, and vowed that if God would pardon this act of wilful rebellion, he would never again enter a public-house in Sunbury.
It was shortly after this, on that very walk home from a visit to the new mansion which Lord Clive was erecting for himself, and in referring to which Macaulay has made so many mistakes, showing his ignorance of Huntington's real life and character, that the idea of the doctrine of election first broke in upon his mind. His companion had heard Whitefield, Romaine, and other great preachers in London, and they, he assured him, said that only the elect would be saved and none else. "Then," said Huntington, "there is no cause to try for salvation." "No," rejoined the other, "you can do nothing if you do."
Soon after this he was looking over a prayer-book, when he came upon the Articles. He had never noticed them before, but now he read them; and sure enough there was the doctrine of election plainly and fully expressed.
So he got his Bible, and began to look all over it, with a view
