CHAPTER IV.

"The world and worldly things beloved,
My anxious thoughts employed,
And time unhallowed, unimproved,
Presents a fearful void.

Yet, Holy Father! wild despair

Chase from my labouring breast;

Thy grace it is which prompts the prayer,
That grace can do the rest!"

BISHOP MIDDLETON, of Calcutta.

her

No one valued the blessings of religion more than Mrs. Thorpe did. She often wished her children did as much; but she comforted herself with the thought that they were still young, and hoped, as they grew older, they would improve, and become more religious. She forgot that was not the way parents had thought and acted towards their family. Mrs. Thorpe's expectations were disappointed. Her children, instead of caring more for religion as they increased in years, seemed to grow more indifferent about it. She began to think she had been neglectful, and that, acting upon the idea that

"example is better than precept," she had put the latter almost entirely aside, forgetting that one cannot do good without the other. She soon became painfully conscious that, in bringing up her children, she had not been so careful to impress upon them the one thing needful," as to teach them the many secondary duties of worldly business, earthly cares and occupations.

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Mary had not long been an inmate of the farm, before Mrs. Thorpe discovered her religious principles were well grounded. It gave her great pleasure to see how fond the cousins were of being together; and whenever she found them talking over their needle-work, after the household labours for the day had been completed, she would make some pretext of employing herself elsewhere, in order to leave them uninterrupted, as she thought they might probably converse more at their ease, than in the presence of an older person.

During one of these conversations, Bessy said she had been reading to herself the services of Baptism and Confirmation, and that she felt very safe with regard to renouncing the devil and all his works, and the pomps and vanities of the world; for she had no difficulty in giving up Satan and all his evil works; and as for the pomps and glories of the world, people in their situation in life had none to give up.

Here Jane interrupted her :

"You forget, Bessy, that in the question asked in

1 Luke x. 42.

the Raptismal Service, the words are, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same.'

Bessy. "Well, Jane! I do not desire them. I never wish to be Lady Corran, nor to have all the fine things she has."

Mary. "But many other things are pomps and vanities, besides large houses, and fine gardens, and parks, and carriages, and horses, and titles of rank. Let us first consider what is meant by renouncing the devil and all his works, what are those works we must give up, and those evil ways we must refuse to follow. There is no good of which God is not the author; there is no evil of which Satan is not the origin. Therefore, whenever we suffer ourselves to be led astray from following God's commands, we are permitting ourselves to be led by the devil; and whenever we do anything wrong, thereby displeasing God, it is to be feared we are doing the works of the Evil One. The least act of disobedience to God is following Satan. The devil, in the form of a serpent, beguiled Eve. Though it was a comparative trifle to eat of a particular fruit which. had been forbidden by God, yet she could not resist. And how much evil and unhappiness did this slight instance of disobedience bring on her, and on all mankind! How many of us have done the same! How often we have thought, 'It is such a little thing, it cannot be of any consequence;' and when our conscience has taught us to doubt and hesitate,

how often we have silenced it by thinking, 'It is such a trifle!' forgetting that no act of disobedience to God is a trifle, and that the neglect of any duty is a sin of omission, and is looked upon with triumph by Satan, who delights in the first step of error, as it is the first step towards gaining him another follower."

Bessy. "How are the works of the devil made known?"

Mary. "In the Bible we are told, the devil is a liar, and the father of lies;'1 therefore, all acts of deceit, hypocrisy, or dishonesty, are works of the devil, for there is no truth in him.'1

murderer from the beginning;

He was a

therefore, all acts of malice, of discord, all quarrelling and envying, are of the devil. If we do not love each other, we are not of God, but of Satan; for St. John says, In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteous⚫ness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.' Every act which is the slightest transgression of God's commandments, all neglect of His sacraments, and other services of His Church, all irreverence for our superiors, all profane and foolish thoughts and words, are displeasing to God, and consequently pleasing to Satan."

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Bessy. "Then one's whole life must be a continual struggle to oppose the devil, if these are all his works?"

Mary. "And so it is. For our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist, stedfast in the faith.'1 If we are only aware of our own weakness, our inability to do anything of ourselves without help from God, and, therefore, become very humble (for pride and self-confidence are sure means whereby Satan attacks us); and if we distrust ourselves, praying for assistance from God, using constant watchfulness over ourselves; we may hope, through the grace of God, to be able to conquer. Discontent is another device of Satan's; and, therefore, we say in the Lord's Prayer, Give us this day our daily bread.', We pray that God will give us all that is necessary for us; and for the rest, His will be done.' In the Lord's Prayer, we pray also that our sins may be forgiven us, even as we forgive those who trespass against us, reminding us of the duty of charity and love to our neighbours, as we hope for mercy ourselves."

Jane. "And we pray against the snares of the devil, in the words, ' Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'. I cannot think how God could lead us into temptation, though."

Mary. "Temptation also means trial. We trust God will not suffer' us to be tempted above that 'we are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it.' It is as much as to say we acknowledge our