Tom  looked  steadily  into  his  cap  during  the  bidding  prayer,
and  sat  down  composedly  afterward  ;  expecting  not  to  be
much  interested  or  benefited,  but  comforted  with  the  assur-
ance that  at  any  rate  it  would  be  almost  luncheon  time  before
he  would  be  again  thrown  on  his  own  resources.  But  he  was
mistaken  in  his  expectations,  and  before  the  preacher  had  been
speaking  for  three  minutes,  was  all  attention.  The  sermon  was
upon  tlie  freedom  of  the  Gospel,  the  power  by  which  it  bursts
all  bonds  and  lets  the  oppressed  go  free.  Its  burden  was,
"  Ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free."
The  preacher  dwelt  on  many  sides  of  these  words  ;  the  free.
THE    END    OE   THE    PRESHMAJt's   TEAK.  313

dom  of  nations,  of  societies,  of  universities,  of  the  conscience
of  each  individual  man,  were  each  glanced  at  in  turn  ;  and
then  reminding  his  hearers  of  the  end  of  the  academical  year,
he  went  on:

"  We  have  heard  it  said  in  the  troubles  and  toils  and  temp-
tations of  the  world,*  '  Oh,  that  I  could  begin  life  over  again  !
oh,  that  I  could  fall  asleep,  and  wake  up,  twelve,  six,  three
months  hence,  and  find  my  difiiculties  solved  ! '  That  which
we  may  vainly  wish  elsewhere  by  a  happy  Providence  is  fur-
nished to  us  by  the  natural  divisions  of  meetings  and  parting
in  this  place.  To  every  one  of  us,  old  and  young,  the  long
vacation  on  which  we  are  now  entering  gives  us  a  breathing
space,  and  time  to  break  the  bonds  which  place  and  circum-
stance have  woven  around  us  during  the  year  that  is  past.
