Erasmus, the reformer of the fifteenth century, "who stemmed the wild torrent of a barbarous age," was not more strongly opposed by the bigoted Catholics of his day, who charged him with having "laid the egg that Luther hatched," than was Hosea Ballou by the partialists of his times. Particularly was this the case during the early and middle period of his public labors. The reformation begun by Luther has been well termed "an insurrection of the human mind against the absolute power of spiritual order." Its earliest fruit was the vigorous but narrow belief of Puritanism; then followed the more liberal creeds of the subsequent period; but it seemed to be left for Mr. Ballou to strike out and illustrate the doctrine of perfect freedom through Christ, of entire impartiality and free grace, which the doctrine of universal salvation inculcates. Relative to the bigotry and unreasonable spirit often evinced towards the subject of this biography, and the cause he advocated, we are reminded in this connection of another anecdote, which is authentic, and which the subject of these memoirs related to his family. Not long after Mr. Ballou's settlement in Boston, he received a pressing invitation to visit the island of Nantucket. The inconvenience of communication between the island and the main land was considerable, but he consented, and passed some ten days there, preaching every successive day and evening to large and interested audiences, creating a very earnest movement in the matter of religion. On his return, arriving at New Bedford, he took the stage coach for Boston, and in it found but one other person. Scarcely had the journey commenced, when his fellow-passenger opened the conversation by saying,-- "You are just from the island, I suppose?" "Yes, sir," was the reply. "Well, they say old Ballou is over there, preaching his heresy. Did you see him?" "Yes, I saw him," was the calm reply. "Well, he's a rough old fellow. I don't like him." "Why not?" asked Mr. Ballou. "Because he preaches that all men will be saved and go to heaven in their sins, and no man in his senses can believe that." "But, sir, did you ever hear him preach?" "No; I hope not," said the man. "Then you may be misinformed as to what he does preach," said Mr. Ballou, mildly. "Now I think he would say, if he were here, that he did not believe nor preach as you have represented." "But what does he believe, then?" said the stranger, somewhat earnestly. "I think he would say that sinners are to be saved _from_ their sins, not _in_ their sins. Christ came to save the world from sin, not in sin; and furthermore we are told in the Scriptures that 'he that is dead is free from sin,' and he that is freed from sin must surely be holy, and consequently happy." "Sir, if I may be so bold," said the stranger, after looking for a moment somewhat critically, "where do you live when at home?" "I live in Boston, sir." "Whose church do you attend?" "Mr. Ballou's church, sir."