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of Christianity with whom we constantly associate, how few, how very few there are, who hold the truth, giving all the glory to Christ; but every one has a form, an opinion, perhaps a human teacher, a doubt or a scruple, which keeps him from seeing and admitting the length, and breadth, and depth, and heighth of the work of salvation, and in many perhaps these motes in the eye will remain until that last hour, in which every film will be removed by divine power, from the spiritual perception, and the Saviour, in the moment of death, will reveal himself as the Alpha and Omega of the sinner's refuge.'

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Your principles,' my dear lady, I said, after some hesitation, are simple and noble, though I fear that, were they fully accepted, they would lead to antinomianism in the generality of Christians.'

'St. Paul,' replied the venerable mother,' would be against you, dear lady, in this opinion, for throughout his epistles, having laid down the first principles of faith, he proceeded to point out what ought to be the conduct of those who are in this faith, knowing as he did, through the inspiration of God, that good works as naturally proceed from a pure faith, as good fruit from a good tree; and also that where faith is so defective, the works which spring from thence will also be imperfect. Now, for example, from a defective view of what man's ministry can perform, in producing spiritual good; a defective view, now too generally held by professors, and even by persons whom we believe to be children of God; there often arise fits of heat and cold; and efforts followed by langour and disgust; inconsistencies of various kinds; depressions and doubts; and finally, in many cases, a state of utter apathy as regards any attempt

to do good to a fellow-creature. But I see, dear madam,' continued the aged lady, ‘that you do not understand me; hear then a story which I am about to relate. It was soon after my return to this house as a widow, that a lady called upon me, desiring to speak with me alone. By the name written upon the card which she sent up to me in the school-room, I knew immediately who she was; viz. a Mrs. Lascelles, a widow of family and fortune, and of a certain age, who then resided at a villa not far from hence; being a person much spoken of, not only for piety, but for such deeds of benevolence as were of more rare occurrence forty years since, than in the present day—that is, she had established charity schools, relieved the sick, assisted the aged, and actually adopted an orphan girl, whom she had reared in her house from infancy. I, however, had never seen this lady before, and somewhat wondered what business she could have with me, as she had no daughters.

'Being come into the parlour, I instantly perceived that the person who had called upon me was a perfect lady, in her deportment, without pride of station, having great warmth of manner, but being evidently under a state of considerable excitement, as appeared from the traces of tears on her eye-lids, and a bright red spot on each cheek.

'After certain hasty compliments had passed between us, she delayed no longer to open her full heart to me; and I found then that she was precisely in that state which I endeavoured, but now, to describe to you, that is, that she having during the course of several years, made great sacrifices of time, of strength, and of property, for advancing the good,

both spiritual and temporal, of those depending upon her, had suddenly, when she had expected to reap her harvest, found her hand filled with green and empty husks; for (as she explained her case to me in the bitterness of her feelings) her servants had proved in many instances dishonest-her cottagers corrupt― the boys in her school had been detected in mischief, and the girls in idleness, lying, and slovenliness; in short, none of her plans had answered to her expectations; and that which above all things had grieved her, and induced her to come to me was, that the little girl whom she had reared from her first to her twelfth year, had proved herself totally unworthy (as she said) of her care and instruction-the child having evinced that she would at any time be rather in the house-keeper's-room than in the drawingroom with her hitherto too indulgent mother.

'The poor lady wept as she made this last complaint, and I perceived that her feelings were deeply lacerated. However, I did not feel myself sufficiently acquainted with her to put such questions as might have led to my better understanding the cause of these complaints; for I was assured that if this excellent lady (for such indeed she was) had met with more ingratitude and unkindness than benevolent persons usually do, there must have been some cause for this which I did not understand; I, therefore, merely professed my willingness to do anything which might tend to the relieving of her mind.

She thanked me: and was pleased to say that, knowing me to be a woman of principle and piety she had made up her mind to place little Alice (that was her adopted child) under my care for a few

years. She informed me, that when she had first taken the child, she had put aside a certain sum of money to accumulate for her use; that that sum should at all events be hers when she came of age, and that she was resolved to give her such an education as would be suitable to her fortune. I have failed, continued the poor lady, in making her what I wish she is a wild reckless child; the pious instructions which I have given her have taken no hold upon her; though, in other respects, she has manifested more than an ordinary intellect. And thus, she added, not without shedding fresh tears, I may be said, in a spiritual point of view, to have done the child no good whatever; and all my efforts, as far as I now see, are likely only to end, in my having merely given her certain present advantages, which will render her guilt still greater in the eyes of God, if she does not profit by the religious instruction which I have endeavoured to impart to her from the time when she was a lisping infant on my knee.

'I could have answered these complaints, and shewn where the false principle, which this lady cherished, was filling her mind with bitterness, and threatening to produce a paralyzation of all her hitherto generous and kindly feelings. But I was anxious to receive the little Alice, and I thought it best not to hazard opinions which might not be well taken, until I had been enabled to establish myself in the confidence of the lady. I therefore, simply promised to take the child, and do my best with her, and thus we parted, Mrs. Lascelles having invited me to visit her during the ensuing summer.

'In a few days after this conversation, little Alice

arrived; she was a fine, bloomy, healthy, boisterous, clever child-having, perhaps, more than the usual portion of animal spirits-but, as Mrs. Lascelles had said, not giving the smallest evidence of having received any serious impressions. She knew a great deal of scripture by rote-I will not say by heart, for there was no heart in the case; nor had she any corrupt habits: and when put, as it were, in the team with the other children, went through the routine of school duties quite as well as most of her companions. One observation, however, I was glad to make: it was this, that she had not fallen into the sin of too many children who are early deprived of their mothers,-that is, she was not deceitful; and this spoke much for Mrs. Lascelles' kindness.'

'Have your observations led you to think, dear madam,' I asked, that children who lose their parents at an early age, are commonly induced to speak and act with more dissimulation than others.'

'They have,' replied the venerable lady; and at another time, we will, if you please, speak farther on this subject: and perhaps we may find it profitable, in a religious point of view, so to do; because, from the consideration of this point, we may be led to see, that as long as our feelings towards the Almighty are not altogether childlike, but such as the poor orphan experiences but too often, as it regards the elders by whom he is governed, there never can be that assurance of unchanging love, and that entire dependance in the Creator and Redeemer of the race of Adam, in which true religion consists, But to proceed with my little narrative. Alice remained with us some months; and in the summer holidays, I went with her to Mrs. Lascelles. I found

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