'So I must; I shall never be happy again, as I was before. May the Lord give me grace to cast my burden on him, for I know he can sustain it!'

'You are a good young man; but its all owing to the way and the place you were brought up in.'

'I am not good, Mr. South. God knows how evil and rebellious a creature I am; and if I have been kept from some of the open sins that others run into, it is owing to his blessing on the good teaching I have had. Do you suppose there is no wickedness in the country, or that some who are carefully reared don't turn out badly at last? We must give the glory to God, and not to man.'

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'Well, I don't doubt your being right,' said South, who had resumed his cautious manner, but on your own principle you are bound to look after that little brother of yours, who is likely to lose what he has got.'

Richard assured him that such was his intention, and resolving to investigate the matter on the following day, he went to his bed, weary and dejected, to ponder over the occurrences of the day. The sounds that reached him were far, oh! how far, unlike those to which his ear was accustomed; carriages rattling over the stones, the song of the drunkard as he reeled along, and the shout of the brawler as he provoked a fray, church bells chiming the hour, and drowsy watchmen proclaiming it, these and other unwonted notes kept him starting from the dreamy mood that after a while stole over his senses, until they too seemed to be lost in the confused murmur of distant billows; and gradually the scenes of his childhood reappeared in visionary beauty, with the forms he so fondly loved engaged in their accustomed rural occupations. Helen and

Mary carried their milk-pail along the cliffs; but the sky darkened, the sea rolled in liquid mountains, and threatened to swallow up the coast. Richard must fly to snatch them from danger; and then followed all the wildly confused imagery of a feverish dream, from which he was awakened by the ringing of a bell, and jumped up to see the rain running down the panes of his window. A great stir was audible, and Richard concluded the factory labourers were summoned by that bell. He was dressed in a moment, and all his accustomed morning devotions being condensed, as it were, in one passionate ejaculation for mercy and help, he rushed into the wet, misty, miserable street, in quest of those whom he had just been looking on through the medium of an exciting dream.

INCONSISTENCY.

(IN A LETTER TO A FRIEND.)

MY DEAR FRIEND,

THOUGH my mind has long shrunk from the attempts to put down in writing my impressions of the awful scene I have lately witnessed, yet, as I think it may bave its beneficial effect, I dare no longer hesitate. It is not to a member of the world which is declared to be lying in wickedness that I address myself, but to one who I hope is a child of God, to one whom I esteem for many points of Christian excellence, but in whom I yet fancy I discern a spot, a stain, which if suffered to rest on the soul, and to spread through the character, may lead to a termination as deplorable as that which has lately made me shudder both for myself and others, lest we too should be self-deceivers, and be holding the truth in unrighteousness; like the wretched being I have lately mourned over, who believed herself, and was believed by many, to have attained to no slight degree of sanctity.

I had withdrawn from the society of this relative, whose death-bed I was now called to attend, for I had spoken plainly, and had thereby given offence; besides, I felt a repugnance any longer to countenance a self-deception which I had vainly tried to dissipate; and my mind continually recurred to that passage in the 2d Thess. iii. 6, which commands us in the name

of the Lord Jesus to "withdraw ourselves from every brother that walketh . . . not after the traditions which he had received" of the apostle; and I saw that, though in the eyes of the church, was a Christian sister, yet her conduct contradicted the scriptural precept, "love not the world; " and that she did prefer its vain adornings to the meek and quiet spirit which godly women are exhorted in the scripture to make their ornaments. I therefore felt it my duty" to withdraw" from her.

You may imagine, then, how painful was my situation when called upon to visit this relative in an illness which I was informed was dangerous, if not altogether what the world calls 'hopeless.' I knew she would feel my presence a reproach; and I also knew that she had expressed no wish to see me; but the summons came from one whom I could not refuse, and with very earnest prayers that I might be made of any use my Master willed, did I set out on my painful journey.

My friend, I feel how utterly powerless are human words to describe the awful impressions which the death-bed of an inconsistent believer makes! Oh! what a contrast did I feel this visit to the last-to that which had decided me to resist every after invitation. Then this poor creature sat at the head of her table, fashionably dressed, and dispensing costly luxuries to her guests, whilst at the same time she was talking of bazaars and other efforts for missionary purposes, which I felt might have been munificently provided for, would she, and such as she, have been contented with real Christian simplicity of fare and apparel; or she was lecturing with self-gratulatory superiority on the more glaring pomps and vanities

of the world, to a decided votary of earth, who yet in her turn considered herself a religious person, because she sometimes called at the cottages in her carriage, and had built a picturesque school-house at her gate. Now my wretched relative was laid on a bed of which no pen can describe the outward pain and restlessness, the tossings to and fro, the disordered attire, the haggard eye! I speak of the body only; I shrink from attempting to judge of the state of the soul; but there were no apparent heavenly consolations; and to almost the last a clinging to this poor life, an attempt to disbelieve the medical man's strong affirmation, that that day must evidently be her last on earth, which shewed that she could not realize the apostle's feeling, "I have a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better."

Even the domestics, who with most patient endurance had attended her night and day, even they saw that she who had exhorted them to fix their affections on things above, had herself been grievously bowed down and fettered to the things of earth, and was still in bondage to them, as well as to the fear of death. On passing a distant room, on the morning of that terrific dying day, I was arrested by the sound of bitter sobs, which I found were poured forth from the hearts of one of these faithful women, who in an extremity of agony had fled from the side of her dying mistress, to vent her grief in solitude. Oh, pray for my poor mistress's soul,' she exclaimed, as I entered, 'now whilst there is a little time left her to come to Christ's blood for pardon.' Though much engaged, I could not resist this appeal ; and kneeling down by the side of this faithful and anguished mourner, I poured out my supplications with her's,

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