displayed by some on very trying occasions, who have at the same time displayed a sternness, and reserve, and incompliance of manner, which has excited strong prejudice not only against the loveliness of their temper, but against the social tendency of their religion; and though they may have been goaded by the opposition of others to the manifestation of these repulsive qualities, yet we cannot help regretting when there is an admixture of evil with the pure religion of the Redeemer. We certainly cannot select a finer example of inflexible decision, in the cause of goodness, than our Lord's; but who is not struck with the serenity of manner, and grace of demeanour, and placidity of temper, which he uniformly displayed, silencing objection, even where he did not subdue enmity, overcoming the force of prejudice, even where he did not conciliate the favour of his adversaries, and advancing to the accomplishment of his purposes without giving any just cause of offence to the most crafty or malignant. As you admire this commanding quality of the human mind, when it is associated with pure religion, I have thought the following display of it would afford you pleasure.

66

We have a Mr. B, residing in the vicinity of our village, who has recently retired from business tó end his days in the retirement of rural life. He purchased the mansion and estate of the late Mr. O--M.P. which is considered one of the finest in our hamlet. He was originally a poor lad without any prospect of rising in the world; but possessing good natural abilities and great energy of character, he forced himself into notice, and gradually advanced, step after step in life, till he acquired an immense fortune. He was a good tradesman but a bad husband, a jovial friend but an unkind parent, and united in his character the extremes of generosity and penuriousness, of liberality and intolerance, of disinterestedness and selfishness, which made him no less an object of censure than applause, and rendered him at once a terror to his friends and his enemies, who equally mistrusted the integrity of his professions, and deprecated the effects of his wrath. His prosperity had made him vain, and, like all others who are under the dominion of that ignoble passion, he courted public applause, but unhappily he did not know,

or, if he knew, he did not remember, that the public place the crown of honour on no one but the eminently good, who sacrifice their time, their influence, and their wealth to advance the general welfare of society, being less solicitous for the prize, than for the merit of deserving it.

"On his settlement at the mansion he gathered around him the leading men of the village, whose obsequious attention gratified his taste; and it is generally supposed that the plan for crushing our rising cause was prepared and adjusted by him. But while he was

meditating the extinction of that moral light which was beaming on the inhabitants of this darkened village, the Lord of life and of glory was secretly preparing the heart of his eldest daughter for its reception. She had felt for some months a singular degree of mental depression, yet knew not the cause of it. She endeavoured to rise above it, but the more she strove, the more it increased. She mingled with the gay, read the most amusing productions of the press, changed her rural walks and occupations, but obtained no relief. When sitting, musing over the disconsolate state of her mind, she involuntarily opened a bible which lay on her dressing-table, and perused the 2nd chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians. She felt an influence on her spirits, as she read the chapter, which enlivened and animated them, though she could form no conception of the source whence it proceeded. She now grew fond of her Bible, read it with close attention, and with deep interest, and at length perceived, that it contained a balm of

"Soon after the beginning of the good work' in her heart, I accidentally met her in one of my evening rambles, and as we had seen each other before, we spoke, and stopped, and spoke again, and then entered into familiar chit-chat. On informing her that I was going to see a poor woman who was very ill, she said, If agreable I will accompany you.' She was very reserved on the subject of religion, but seemed disposed to listen, and when we parted, she said, 'If you are disengaged to-morrow evening, I will do myself the honour of calling.'

[80

"She came, and disclosed the interesting secret, which for many months she had concealed in her own breast; and as it was the evening our lecture was delivered at the chapel, she went with me and heard a most appropriate sermon. As we were walking away together, she said, "This has been the most interesting discourse I ever heard. The hidden mystery is explained. I can now account for my deep depression-my distaste for worldly pleasures the involuntary aspirations of my soul to the unknown God! I will return on Sabbath morning.'

"On the following Sabbath she came, and enjoyed the service, and repeated her visits for several succeeding Sabbaths but as soon as the lordly tyrant of the mansion knew where she had been, he interdicted her attendance. She heard his awful interdiction with thunder-struck amazement, and made no reply: but in the course of the week she very deliberately told him, that she was willing to submit to his parental authority on every question except religion, and on that she would submit to no human authority. She knew the power of his anger, and had often trembled as the murmurings of discontent announced the approaching storm; but now she rose above its desolating force, and felt secure beneath the shadow of the Almighty. 'I will suffer no one belonging to my family to go to that chapel; and if you go, Miss, it is at your peril!'

"She came the next Sabbath, and then I missed her for some weeks. I knew not what was become of her. At length I received a note from her, informing me that she was confined a close prisoner, her father not suffering her to leave her own room; but she added, 'He knows not what he is doing. May the Lord pardon him, and turn his heart!' Having confined her till the report of his cruelty was noised abroad, he again threatened her, and then released her. In the course of the week she sent him the following letter.

"MY DEAR FATHER,

"I have always felt great pleasure in obeying your commands; and would most cheerfully comply with your recent injunction, if it did not interfere with the dictates of my conscience. But it does-and I can

not obey it. You may ascribe my decision to obstinacy, perverseness, or a spirit of rebellion; but I assure you it does not proceed from any of these base and degrading passions. Have I not, through the whole course of my life, paid profound respect to your authority? and should 1 now oppose it through caprice? Have I not uniformly endeavoured to gratify your wishes? and, should I now run the risk of incurring your displeasure, if I were not impelled by some extraordinary motive? I hope, on reflection, you will concede to me the right which every Briton possesses, of worshipping God according the dictates of his conscience, and attending that place of worship where he can derive the most spiritual benefit: a right which I value more than silver and gold—and which no one can attempt to deprive me of, without violating the sanctity of the laws of God and of man. The inclosed letter,* which was written under similar circumstances to those in which I am now placed, is so expressive of the sentiments and feelings of my own mind, that I hope you will read it as coming from myself, and be induced to act the part of a wise and kind father, by conceding to me as a favour what otherwise I shall be compelled to claim as a right-though you force me from my home to claim the pity and compassion of strangers. With sincere affection and respect,

"I remain,' &c.

"This letter inflamed his irascible passions, and made him resolve on desperate measures to subdue his refractory child; but she still holds on in the way of righteousness, displaying a zeal tempered with discretion-an energy which increases with the magnitude of the difficulties she has to encounter, combined with a softness of manners, and sweetness of disposition which invests her character with an overpowering charm. Though her attachment to the Church is as strong as Mrs. C's, and though she would prefer worshipping her Maker and her Redeemer within its hallowed walls, yet she deems it her duty, and her honour, to identify herself with the people of God, though despised and

*The reader is referred to No. 19 of this series.

poor, rather than give the sanction of her influence and her example to the ministerial labours of a man who preaches what an Apostle would call another gospel, though by so doing she would avoid the offence of the cross.

AN UNLOVELY CHARACTER.

"I will now give you a sketch of a very different character, which is quite popular amongst us,—an exact counterpart of the celebrated Mrs. Lawson, of whom I have heard you speak. She is a maiden lady, who has passed the prime of life without being forced to change her condition, though often pressed, of course-very highly gifted with the use of the unruly member-and withal so catholic in her spirit, that she cannot find a more appropriate epithet as descriptive of the aggregate number of the righteous, than that which our Lord gave to his disciples, when he denominated them a little flock.' She lives in a very elegant little cottage, which stands near the top of the hill. Miss Godfrey, or, to speak of her as she speaks of herself, Mrs. Godfrey-in stature, is rather below the common standard—somewhat inclined to corpulency—has a florid complexion-dresses in a style which unites the simplicity of rural habits with the dash of the polished city-and, though not wealthy, possesses what she terms a good fortune. She is a native of the village, and has aunts, and uncles, and first and second cousins scattered all over the face of the hamlet, who pay her great respect because they expect to divide her property when she departs this life; which, if we credit her own statement, will be very soon, as she often speaks of being ripe for glory. She left the village when young for a place of all work, which her father obtained for her in the city of S, and finally became housekeeper to an old miser, who left her a very handsome legacy, when he could keep his money no longer. Having met with a disappointment about twenty years since, on which she still dwells with pathetic interest, she discovered, that

'Here perfect bliss can ne'er be found,'

and happening to find the Bank of Faith,' she caught the spirit of the author of that book, and from that me