Stella, through being away at school so much and having gone to Roseland for a while, had only heard about there being such a young man as Penloe in Orangeville, but had never seen him; neither had her parents.
Penloe was about the first person at church that Sunday afternoon, and took a seat in the front pew, next to the pulpit with his back to the congregation, so, as the people assembled, they saw the back of some one but did not know who it was. When it was time for the service to commence the church was about full, but the people all seemed surprised not to see the minister present. Deacon Allen came forward, and opened service by giving out a hymn, which was followed by prayer. Then the choir sang, sweetly, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Then reading from the Scriptures, which was followed by the singing of a hymn that Penloe had selected, and Deacon Allen gave out. The hymn was as follows:
"See Israel's gentle shepherd stands
With all engaging charms,
Hark, how he calls his tender lambs,
And folds them in his arms.
"'Permit them to approach,' he cries,
Nor scorn their humble name,
For 'twas to bless such souls as these
The Lord of angels came."
After singing the hymn, Deacon Allen explained to the congregation the cause of the minister's absence, and introduced Penloe, to the great surprise of those present. Penloe, in a simple, unassuming manner, stepped up to the desk and faced the audience. Casting his eyes over the mass of upturned faces, he said, in a very pleasant, musical voice:
"Dear friends, I will speak to you from the following words, 'Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.'"
The sermon was a most remarkable and original discourse. It held the close attention of every one present, and at its end the congregation sang:
"I think, when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men,
How he called little children as lambs to his fold,
I should like to have been with him then.
"I wish that his hands had been placed on my head,
That his arms had been thrown around me,
And that I might have seen his kind look when He said,
'Suffer the little ones to come unto me.'"