: said the nephew," that it requires caution how you act."—" Ah! but you will of course understand, that I am only upholding the superior order the Independents, for example, whose mode of worship and church government are so much like the Scotch and Swiss Churches; their preachers are generally men of education, at least they are expected to be so, for they have a college for their young students, and opportunities of improvement. I must say, I think our church less careful in the particular of forming its young divines for preachers, than they. I am told they bestow great pains and labour to acquire the art of sermon-making and preaching with success; and I have been astonished to find very young men (quite lads) experienced in this branch, and capable of composing and delivering a discourse with considerable facility and talent. You will find six out of seven among the clergy, unless they are men of much piety, make themselves very happy with another man's sermon, and give themselves no concern about composing their own discourses, or endeavouring to acquire the power." The bells were ringing for afternoon service and the conversation was interrupted. In the Psalms for the evening was the cxvith, and the : text was taken from those striking words in the 16th verse, 'O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid thou hast loosed my bonds.'-Mary's heart had read the words with rejoicing, and she listened eagerly for the remarks her brother was about to make. He took the Psalmist's declaration, I am thy servant,' and explained the nature of the service: the qualifications required for that service: the willingness of the subject to undertake all the duties, and to undergo all the privations attendant upon it, together with the conviction, that once entered upon, it would be required of him to continue faithful to his allegiance till death had annulled the contract, by substituting a better and an unending one. In this part of the subject, Mary thought he said too much of man's capability of performing what was exacted, and gave him more power than appeared to her justified from scripture, or from the experience of the human heart. She felt the discourse to be a very discouraging one, and when the last clause was brought forward, 'Thou hast loosed my bonds,' it seemed to her as if the cords were drawn tighter, and the bondage rendered more complete. She looked around her, and saw some faces evidently in terested, and apparently comforted by the sermon. The Lord has various ways of leading his people,' she thought, but I cannot see how believers are to be built up by this; nor how sinners are to be brought in! Yet we are told that the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ,' it may be so here! but for a soul once resting on him, there is nothing to feed upon in this. Perhaps my brother may be sent to show them what the spiritual law requiresand yet the ministers of the gospel were enjoined to preach Christ. How can it be? he certainly appears taught of God, and led by his Spirit, or how could he understand as he does; and how could he be willing to devote his life as I know he wishes to do, to the service of God?-I have heard of two or three to whom his ministry has been made savingly useful, Surely then, a blessing must accompany him; and if so, he must be under God's teaching; then, if under God's teaching, why should he preach in a way that proves the existence of much darkness? I cannot understand it !—If he reads the scriptures and studies them diligently, he must be enlightened, for 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' The idea then struck her that he might be engrossed with other studies, and, although not absorbed by them to the neglect of the word of God, yet so occupied by human authors, that his views remained clouded, and his ideas obscure. She felt it a very delicate point to open her mind to him, but, nevertheless, determined on doing so the first favourable opportunity. Her brother was some years older than herself, and was supposed to have more experience, more knowledge of life; but Mary considered that 'God had chosen the weak things of the world to confound the wise,' and she felt that if He had taught her the truth more fully, it would be sinful and wrong to allow any scrupulous feelings of false delicacy to prevent her from speaking faithfully and unreservedly to her brother. The business was besides less, difficult than it might have been in many cases, for her brother was extremely fond of her and would always listen good-humouredly to any of her remonstrances. CHAPTER XIV. EVERY ONE THAT USETH MILK IS UNSKILFUL IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: FOR HE IS A BABE.'-Heb. v. 13. 'A MAN CAN RECEIVE NOTHING, EXCEPT IT BE GIVEN HIM FROM HEAVEN.'-John iii. 27. BEFORE breakfast, on the following Monday, Mary found her brother in the grounds, and thinking it a fit moment for beginning the conversation, she made some remarks upon the church and the number of the hearers; she thought they appeared attentive and interested during the sermon. He smiled, and said with much diffidence, that it was his sincere desire to think only of what might benefit, and not of what might attract. "It was the natural bent of my disposition," he added, "to feel a secret wish that my preaching might render me popular; or perhaps I shall better state the feeling by saying, my heart coveted that sort of regard, |