from books of instruction, a subject that occupies at least one half of the world, seems to be, that custom has attached an exclusive meaning to it; and that people think that the less that is said, the better, about this compound of gratified vanity, whim, and earthly passion, to which the appellation is usually restricted. And now, notwithstanding the many sneers to which an old maid giving a philosophical disquisition on love may be liable, I shall proceed to give my youthful friends a little advice on the subject.

I cannot find language to enable me to define love in the abstract, because it is something with which we are utterly unacquainted; the relative conditions in which we are placed to each other, necessarily modifying its nature in every exercise of it. The love of the parent, the child, the lover, the husband, the friend, have each their own distinctive character; yet we can distinguish the predominating feeling in all, from the sympathy, esteem, or veneration with which it is mingled, and perceive it to be the same in each. Essential and unmingled love, exists only in Him who is the fountain of love; but in those actings of it with which we are best acquainted, it is combined with divine compassion for a fallen world. Perhaps the nearest approach to the pure exercise of love in man, is that of the advanced and contemplative Christian; who, in holy meditation, is carried beyond the sense of what God is to himself individually, and views him in his own essential character, as infinitely good,-as that glorious excellence, whose beauty and perfection draw forth all the higher faculties of the soul in adoring admiration. Now some may be startled when I say,

that widely different as is the object which produces it, the exercise of human attachment in the breast of a refined and sensitive female is too nearly akin to adoration; it is the concentration of all her affections, of her whole being, upon one object, , towards which the mind goes forth as to the highest good. That which occupies our chief thoughts, engrosses our affections, influences our conduct, whose remembrance is continually present with us, is, undoubtedly, the object of our worship, our idol, our god. The poet has made Juliet honestly designate Romeo, the god of her idolatry; and if others did not wish to hide the truth from themselves, they would perceive that they too were worshipping an idol; "worshipping and serving the creature, more than the Creator."

Love then, in the mind of a tender-hearted and refined woman, in proportion to its purity, partakes of the nature of adoration, and in proportion to its intensity, is assimilated to worship. This is a serious consideration for those females who profess to be followers of Jesus; who say they are not their own, but have been bought with a price, even the precious blood of Christ. My dear young friends, do you not shrink from the very thought of displacing your Saviour from his throne in your heart, and exalting a fallen creature in his stead? Alas! many who would at one time have said: "Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing?" have fallen before the force of temptation; and those souls that formerly soared above earth and all its vanities, have been found cleaving to the dust. What has been said in regard to covetousness, that 'it will, in all probability, prove the eternal overthrow

of more characters among professing people than any other sin,' may with more truth, in the case of young women, be said of earthly attachments. I have seen many a fair profession of religion blighted by a mis-placed or intense affection. In not a few

instances, the individuals have " 'gone back, and walked no more with Jesus; " in others, they have in the end been mercifully brought, through many deep waters, into the land of peace. In some cases, I have known such an attachment overcome by strength of principle; but it has too often been at the expense of physical strength and mental energy; and the remainder of life has been spent in the resignation of the enfeebled invalid, instead of the active employment of the zealous Christian.

I mean not from all this to argue that an exclusive attachment to one individual above all others, is in itself sinful; so far from this, I believe it is an appointment of God, by which those who perhaps a short time before were strangers to each other, are enabled to leave father and mother, and cleave to one another. But as such an attachment is usually the turning point in a young woman's life, determining her future happiness and usefulness in this world, it is of the utmost importance that it should be viewed in a serious and prayerful manner. The foolish habit of making the subject of love one of idle merriment, tends much to hinder its being so viewed; it is difficult to regard a matter which is continually made the object of jest and pleasantry, as one of the most momentous events of human life. The natural desire in a female to conceal the existence of such an attachment from others, usually prevents her from being advised or warned on the

subject, until a time when one might as well preach to the winds,-when its roots have struck so wide and so deep, that we might as easily expect to uproot the sturdy oak by maxims of reason and prudence, as to eradicate this engrossing affection by such feeble weapons. Surely, then, the first approach of this insidious passion should be carefully watched, especially by a woman professing godliness; as it leads her into a course beset with many dangers. Her affection may be misplaced,— it may be unrequited,—it may be without any reasonable hope of an ultimate union,-or it may lead her away from God; she may receive the desire of her heart, and find leanness in her soul.

But I should exceed my limits were I to say half of what might be said on this subject, which I may perhaps resume at a future period. In the mean time, as I prefer instructing by examples, rather than by dry precepts, I shall mention some circumstances in the history of a young friend of mine.

Several of my school friendships have survived the vicissitudes of separation and change. One of my most intimate friends was Louisa Compton; who, soon after leaving school, was married to a gentleman many years older than herself, who resided on his family estate in shire. I spent much of my time with her, usually paying her a visit at Christmas, and another during the summer or autumn. It was about a year before her death, when my own mind was brought under serious impressions of religion; and I then felt very anxious to awaken my dear friend to similar convictions. Her last illness. was of several months' duration; during which time I attended her constantly; and for several weeks

before her departure, I had the inexpressible pleasure of seeing her rejoicing in the Lord. The case of her husband and children were much on her mind, and she spake to them with great feeling, whenever her strength would permit her. She solemnly

charged me to use every effort for the spiritual welfare of her children, entreating me to continue my visits as heretofore, and expressing the same wish both to her husband and eldest daughter.

Mr. Montague was one of those quiet good-natured sort of people, whom everybody speaks well of, and nobody cares much for. His family had lived in that part of the country for many generations, and had long been noted as the leading Tory family. This gave him an influence in the neighbourhood which neither his personal character, nor his fortune, which was not large, would have given him. His family consisted of three daughters, the two younger of whom were mere children when their mother died. I continued my visits as usual; the dying request of Mrs. Montague having made both parties look on this as a sacred duty. I saw comparatively little of the two younger girls, as they were sent to school, and frequently spent the greater part of the holidays in visits to their schoolfellows and other friends; but Louisa, the eldest, was an object of the liveliest interest to me. She was one of those truly amiable and delightful persons, in whose case it appears madness to the world to speak of the necessity of a new heart and a right spirit. Her talents inclined more to the useful than the brilliant; but her mind was well cultivated, her manners refined, and her conversations full of good sense and solid information. Her mother's delicate health had accustomed