Christ. Many a hard blow has it borne, but it has not suffered, and it will not. If it were to fall the country would fall with it. Without a Church there would be no Government, no Constitution. A Republic would be the only thing left for us; and rather would I see my children laid in the grave, than that they should live under the tyranny of a Republic, where the wicked and cunning are sure to triumph, and the poor and honest to be crushed to the dust.""

Mary. "I have often heard my dear late father, when talking of disturbances, say that they were almost always got up by men of notoriously bad character, who had nothing to lose, and therefore hoped in the confusion of a riot to get something, or at all events to make a few others as badly off as themselves,"

CHAPTER XI.

9 How shall the young preserve their ways
From all pollution free?

By making still their course of life
With Thy commands agree.

10 With hearty zeal for Thee I seek,
To Thee for succour pray;
O suffer not my careless steps
From Thy right paths to stray !
11 Safe in my heart, and closely hid,
Thy word, my treasure, lies,
To succour me with timely aid
When sinful thoughts arise.

12 Secured by that, my grateful soul
Shall ever bless Thy name;

O teach me then by Thy just laws

My future life to frame."-Psalm cxix.

In the afternoon of the last day of the week, Mary, having arranged all her own concerns in her little neat bedchamber, came down to her aunt's parlour, where she found both her cousins busily plying their needles, and a number of articles of wearing apparel and of house linen about in the room. In her usual

obliging manner, she immediately asked if she could not render them some assistance.

66

"Thank you, Mary," replied Jane; we are indeed very busy. We seem to have more work in the mending way to-day than usual on Saturday. It will be a great help to us if you will kindly take part of it."

"That I will most willingly," said Mary, quickly; and almost before the words were out of her mouth, she was seated at the table, and had taken up a towel to darn.

"There's a dear good girl!" cried Bessy. "I declare you have set to work already. How tidily you keep all your things; you never seem to have to hunt for your thimble, or needles, or anything."

Mary. “There is so much time thrown away in seeking those necessary little articles. I keep them all in my housewife, and my housewife in my pocket. And now that we are all settled quietly for some time, and not likely to be interrupted, shall we go on talking about the Commandments?"

Both the cousins exclaimed at once, "O yes! by all means let us!" and Jane added, "It is the very thing I was going to propose."

Bessy. "The last time we spoke only of the fifth commandment; of course, therefore, to-day we shall begin with the Sixth, 'Thou shalt do no murder.""

Mary. "This commandment deserves much careful inquiry. At first we might be apt to dismiss it from our minds as having no reference to ourselves;

for the idea of taking away the life of a fellowcreature is so shocking, that it appears utterly impossible we should ever be guilty of such a dreadful crime, or even feel the slightest inclination to commit it. But when we come to consider the matter attentively, we may find that many of us bear in our hearts the seeds of it."

Mary. Cain, as we all know, was the first murderer; and what led him to kill Abel?"

Jane. "Envy and jealousy."

Mary. "Certainly; as St. John says, 'Wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.' An unforgiving spirit is another step towards this sin. An injury may be received, or supposed to be received; it may be a very slight, or even but an imaginary, offence. It is brooded over, instead of being put aside in a Christian spirit; it is resented, and at last revenged. Whether revenged by actual murder, or by inflicting a greater insult or injury upon the originally offending party, it is transgressing the Sixth Commandment in the spirit, as much as actual murder is breaking it in the eye of the law."

Bessy. "That is clear. As I was reading one day very lately, our Saviour will not receive any one who refuses to be reconciled to his brother."

Bessy. "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."1

Mary. "From this we see that our Saviour will not allow us to hurt each other's feelings, by using harsh and cruel words. You will perceive by consulting the Prayer-book, that our Church, taking for its guide the holy Word of God, will not permit any one who refuses to be reconciled to his brother, to be a communicant at the Lord's Table."

Jane thereupon took up her Prayer-book, and having turned to the Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, said, "This is doubtless the

1 Matt. v. 21-26.